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Fire Preparedness

The American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties urges families to prepare for and prevent a home fire.

Nationally, the number of home fires the Red Cross responds to is up 10 percent since the year 2000.  Alarmingly, only 26 percent of families have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan, according to a May 2006 poll conducted by ORC International on behalf of the Red Cross.

 “Our Chapter responds to a residential fire every 42.5 hours,” said Carol Dunn, Community Disaster Educator for the American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties.  “It is important to take the steps to make your family and home safer.”

“In addition to having working smoke alarms, one of the easiest ways you can prepare is to develop and practice a home fire escape plan so that every family member can escape quickly and safely,” continued Dunn.  “A home fire escape plan includes at least two escape routes for every room in the home, and a convenient meeting place at a safe distance from a fire.”

The American Red Cross offers the following recommendations regarding fire escape plans:

• Family plans should include two ways to escape from every room in the home.
• Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
• Select a safe location away from the home where your family can meet after escaping.
• Consider purchasing and storing escape ladders for rooms above ground level and practice using them.
• If you see smoke or fire in your first escape route, use your second way out.
• If you must exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke.
• Before escaping through a closed door, feel the door before opening it. If it is warm, use your second escape route.
• If smoke, heat or flames block both of your exit routes, stay in the room with the door closed.  Place a rolled towel underneath the door. Signal for help by waving a brightly colored cloth or shining a flashlight at the window.  If there is a telephone in the room, call the fire department and let them know your exact location inside the home.
• Once you’ve escaped your home, stay out.

The Red Cross depends on the generous support of local residents to respond to our neighbors who are affected by home fires.  You can help the Red Cross be ready to respond and help fire victims by making a financial contribution at www.seattleredcross.org.

For more preparedness information visit www.seattleredcross.org or contact 206-323-2345 in King County or (360) 377-3761 in Kitsap County.

The American Red Cross is a non-profit, humanitarian agency dedicated to helping make families and communities safer at home and around the world.  For more information, visit www.seattleredcross.org.