(Press Release) — Red Cross volunteers from the NMI chapter responded to a home fire that occurred early Tuesday morning. No one was injured during the incident.
Around 2 a.m., Disaster Action Team or DAT volunteers received a call regarding a home fire that occurred in San Vicente. Red Cross volunteers dispatched to the scene were able to interview the client and provide immediate emergency assistance.
American Red Cross file photo
“Our hearts go out to those affected,” said Chloe Sin, a Disaster Action Team member who assisted during the response. Richard Defan one of the responding DAT members to the incident went on to add that “This is our community, and we are committed to assisting our neighbors.”
In the coming days, the Red Cross staff and volunteers will remain available to help coordinate aid for the client affected and will continue to assist with planning to meet the disaster-caused needs of the client.
“We are extremely grateful for the support of our volunteers, community, and all the generous donors, which gives us the means and resources to continue the Red Cross mission of providing hope and relief to victims of disasters,” said John Hirsh, executive director of the NMI chapter.
The American Red Cross responds to a disaster every eight minutes, and most of these responses are for single and multi-family home fires. Each year, the Red Cross responds to an average of more than 60,000 disasters in the U.S., the vast majority of which are home fires.
Simple steps to save lives
The Red Cross is calling on everyone to take two simple steps that can save lives: practice fire drills at home and check existing smoke alarms.
There are several things families and individuals can do to increase their chances of surviving a fire:
• If someone doesn’t have smoke alarms, install them. At a minimum, put one on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Local building codes vary and there may be additional requirements where someone lives.
• If someone does have alarms, test them today. If they don’t work, replace them.
• Make sure that everyone in the family knows how to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes.
• Practice the fire escape plan. What’s the household’s escape time?
People can visit redcross.org/homefires to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved homes from fire.
