Smoke Alarm Requests Spike

Posted on December 10, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Red Cross, Partners Hard at Work to Fulfill Requests Following Fatal Akron Fire

In the immediate aftermath of the devastating fire in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood on Saturday, December 3, hundreds of Northeast Ohio residents called the Red Cross to request free smoke alarms.

The Red Cross offers free smoke alarms, free installation, and free home fire safety inspections for every residence in need in Northeast Ohio. This initiative, known locally as Operation Save-A-Life, began in Cleveland in 1992. It has since been rolled out nationwide, with the goal of reducing serious injury and death due to home fires by 25% over a five year period.

On Tuesday, December 6, the Red Cross and the Akron Fire Department went door-to-door in the neighborhood where the fatal fire occured, offering to install smoke alarms in every home. Many media outlets covered the effort, including the Akron Beacon Journal, WEWS, WJW, and WOIO.

Bob Jones of WEWS coversing the installation of smoke alarms in Akron

WJW Photographer Jim Pijor records John Gareis installing a smoke alarm

Lacey Crisp of WOIO covering the story

Akron resident Rodney Bowden was interviewed by WJW reporter Maia Belay

Rachel D’Attoma, Executive Director of the Summit, Portage, and Medina Counties Chapter was interviewed by Maia Belay of WJW

“It’s very unfortunate that it takes something like this for the community to say, ‘Yes, we need smoke detectors,’ ” Rachel D’Attoma, Executive Director of the Summit, Portage, and Medina Counties Chapter told the ABJ.

If your home doesn’t have a working smoke alarm on every floor, log onto the Operation Save-A-Life page on the Red Cross website, or call 330-535-2030 in theAkron area, 216-361-5535 in Greater Cleveland, or 866-319-7160 in the Youngstown area.

Smoke Alarms Installed Ahead of Holiday Cooking Time

Posted on November 23, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

With the holiday season in full swing we can not stress enough the importance of…

SMOKE ALARMS.

Let’s face it, winter in NEO is C-O-L-D! It’s prime time for home fires, between holiday cooking and trying to stay warm. And that’s why our Operation Save-A-Life program is so vitally important.

We applaud the volunteers and fire department personnel of Olmsted Twp. who braved our first real cold snap last Saturday to install smoke alarms in one Olmsted Township neighborhood. Through their work, we were able to install more than 320 smoke alarms in 130 homes!

(Click on the photo below to view our album on Flickr!)

If you or someone you know need smoke alarms installed, please visit www.redcross.org/neoosal and click on your county to learn more about this free program.

Parma Neighborhood Now Better Protected from Home Fires

Posted on November 12, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Photos provided by Cal Pusateri/American Red Cross Volunteer

Smoke Alarms Installed in Dozens of Homes

While many of us were preparing to “Turn and Test”…turn our clocks back an hour, and test our smoke alarms on Saturday, November 5, the last day of Daylight Savings Time for 2016, several Parma residents got new smoke alarms installed in their homes.

The Red Cross and its partners with the Parma Fire Department and Parma CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) visited 38 homes, and installed 116 smoke alarms that day as part of Operation Save-A-Life.

Residents were also given valuable fire safety information, including ways to develop escape plans in the event of a home fire.

Fire Walk with CERT (Community Emergency Relations Team) in Parma OH

Last year, the Red Cross and its partners installed almost 13,000 smoke alarms in homes throughout the Northeast Ohio Region.

If you would like to help the Red Cross make Northeast Ohio a safer place to live by partnering with us to install smoke alarms, or if you need smoke alarms in your home, visit our Operation Save-A-Life page at redcross.org/neoosal.

Working Locally to Affect Change Globally

Posted on October 31, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Jessica Tischler, International Services Director, Northeast Ohio Region

Each year, disasters around the world devastate the lives of millions of people. The American Red Cross is taking action to help save lives by:

-Providing urgent assistance to people affected by disaster in countries across the globe;
-Helping to vaccinate children against measles;
-Investing in disaster preparedness, making communities less vulnerable;
-Reconnecting families separated by international war and disaster;
-Educating about international humanitarian law.

In Northeast Ohio, we are actively engaged with reconnecting family members who have been separated by international war and disaster, and with educating individuals in our community about International Humanitarian Law.

I had the pleasure of recently meeting with Asma Sameen Bangash of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Red Crescent. Asma is an attorney based in Peshawar, Pakistan, and serves as a Communication Officer focusing on International Humanitarian Law. She is visiting the United States as a Fellow in a U. S. State Department-sponsored program, studying U. S. law and policy, and is spending time in Washington and in Cleveland at Case Western Reserve University.

Jessica Tischler, Director of International Services, Northeast Ohio Region and Asma Sameen Bangash of ICRC

As a member of the ICRC, Asma interacts with the Red Crescent Society in Pakistan, and expressed an interest in learning about the programs and services offered through the American Red Cross. I was happy to explain to her the many ways in which the Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies, by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors in Northeast Ohio.

For more information about Red Cross International Services, click here.

Ashtabula Residents Get Free Smoke Alarms for Their Homes

Posted on October 22, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Ashtabula Fire Department, Aqua Ohio Workers Help Red Cross Make Neighborhoods Safer

Residents who live in close to 100 homes in Ashtabula now have working smoke alarms, thanks to the efforts of the Red Cross, the Ashtabula Fire Department and Aqua Ohio.

More than 20 volunteers fanned out throughout Ashtabula on Thursday, October 20 to provide residents with fire safety information and to install, at no cost to the residents, smoke alarms featuring batteries with a 10-year lifespan.

“We urge residents to check the batteries in their smoke alarms, especially at this time of year, when we’re about to turn the clocks back,” said Karen Conklin, Executive Director of the Lake to River Chapter of the Red Cross. “And even if the batteries are good, if the alarm is more than 10 years old, it should be replaced because the sensors are out-of-date.”

Gary Offerdahl, the Red Cross volunteer who coordinated the installation event, called it a success. “We’re protecting more people from smoke and fire casualties and possibly fatalities, which is the motivating factor.”

Ashtabula resident Carmen Rocco receives fire safety information in his home from a Red Cross volunteer on Octiber 20, 2016

Now in its second year, the Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness Campaign is meant to reduce the number of fatalities caused by home fires by 25% over a five year period.

The Red Cross has more smoke alarms to install, thanks in part to the generosity of the United Way of Ashtabula County and the Ashtabula Foundation. Companies interested in helping make residents safer in their homes by allowing their employees to participate in similar smoke alarm installation events can call 866-319-7160.

Photo credit: Paul Wadowick/American Red Cross Volunteer

10 Home Fire Prevention Tips

Posted on October 20, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

With cold weather creeping in, it’s time to think about heating your home.

Here are ten tips you can take, today, to help your family stay safe this winter:

Install a smoke alarm on every level of the home, and inside and outside each sleeping area.
Make sure that the cooking area is free from items that can catch fire, like dish towels or pot holders.
Check your electrical cords to verify that they are not frayed or cracked.
Never leave children and pets with unattended with candles.
Clean out your clothes dryer lint filter and venting system (this should also improve how well your dryer works!)
Carbon monoxide alarms should be located on each level of the home. And, yes, you can take the “two birds, one stone” approach by buying a combination CO2/Smoke Alarm unit!
Move furniture and other items that can catch fire so that they are at least 3-feet from fireplaces, wall heaters, baseboards, and space heaters.
HAVE AN ESCAPE PLAN with two ways out of each room!
KNOW WHERE TO MEET ONCE YOU ARE OUT OF THE HOUSE!
PRACTICE YOUR ESCAPE PLAN!

You can help community members in your area receive a free smoke alarm installation by donating to Operation Save-A-Life, the home fire prevention program offered through the Red Cross.

For a more thorough look at fire safety in your home, check out this Home Fire Safety Checklist.

Red Cross Teams with Alcoa to Install 150 Alarms

Posted on September 6, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Fire Safety Walk took place just ahead of National Preparedness Month

It can be hot work, especially when temperatures reach into the 90s like they have this summer. This is the kind of weather that makes you long for air conditioning and tall glasses of ice water, dripping with cool condensation.

But one dedicated team steadfastly treks through the humid air to make sure that homes will remain safe as the temperatures begin to fall.

That team? Our Operation Save-A-Life partners at Alcoa, who helped the Red Cross install 150 smoke alarms in 71 homes at the Miller Mobile park on the 93 degree day of August 25, just ahead of National Preparedness Month.

“The team from Alcoa is the easiest and best group I get to work with,” said John Gareis, Regional Disaster Training Coordinator. You can see more photos of the event on our flickr page.

During the month of September, the Red Cross urges families to develop a fire escape plan, so everyone in the household knows what to do if fire occurs. Home fires are the most common threat people face across the country, and every family should develop a fire escape plan.

If your group would like to help install smoke alarms with the Red Cross, please call or email our volunteer services team at 216-431-3328 or NEOvolunteer@redcross.org.

Photo Credit: Cal Pusateri/American Red Cross Volunteer

Fire Drives Residents from Home, Draws Red Cross Workers for Help

Posted on August 23, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

This resident of a home on E. 82nd St. in Cleveland received Red Cross assistance, including money to buy shoes, after fleeing his burning home in bare feet.

He stood in his bare feet as he watched his home burn. The man, one of three residents of a multi-family house on E. 82nd Street in Cleveland, was awakened by firefighters pounding on his door just after dawn Monday morning, and fled with no shoes or socks on his feet.

Two other residents, Therens Vitanzan and Larry Anderson also escaped. All three received financial assistance from the Red Cross, to help them with their immediate needs; a safe place to stay, a warm meal, and for one of the residents, shoes.

Greater Cleveland Chapter Disaster Relief Van on the scene of a fire on E. 82nd. St.

Greater Cleveland Chapter Disaster Program Manager Jeremy Bayer surveys the damage

Red Cross workers assist residents

Greater Cleveland Chapter Disaster Program Manager Jeremy Bayer offers help to a resident

Greater Cleveland Chapter Disaster Program Manager Jeremy Bayer offers assistance

The Red Cross responds to a home fire on E. 82nd St. in Cleveland

“That’s why we go,” said Disaster Program Manager Jeremy Bayer of the Greater Cleveland Chapter. “People who just lost their home, all their possessions, they need our help and the hope we can give them during their darkest hour.”

In addition to financial aid, the suddenly homeless residents received a small plastic bag filled with personal items like a toothbrush, toothpaste and soap.

Mr. Vitanzan, who was wrapped in a blanket, sat quietly in a van that doubles as an intake office at disaster locations, while Walter Reddick, a Red Cross volunteer, offered what comfort he could. Walter also helped Mr. Anderson, who was grateful to escape from his burning home with his prized possession: his guitar.

Fire destroyed this home on E. 82nd St. in Cleveland, forcing the three residents to flee

Resident Therens Vitanzan receives assistance from Red Cross volunteer Walter Reddick

Red Cross client Therens Vitanzan

Red Cross volunteer Walter Reddick and client Therens Vitanzan

Therens Vitanzan walks away from his charred home after receiving Red Cross assistance.

Red Cross volunteer Walter Reddick and client Therens Vitanzan

Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Jeremy Bayer, volunteer Walter Reddick and client Therens Vitanzan

Red Cross client Larry Anderson receives assistance from Red Cross volunteer Walter Reddick

Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Jeremy Bayer and client Larry Anderson

Photo credit: Jim McIntyre/American Red Cross

In the coming days, all three residents will receive follow-up care from Red Cross case workers, who will help them develop a plan for recovery from the fire that forced them from their homes.

They were fortunate to escape without suffering serious injuries.Fire experts agree that people may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it’s too late to get out. Seven times a day, someone in this country dies in a home fire.

Incidents like this highlight the importance of having working smoke alarms in every residence in Northeast Ohio, and the Red Cross is ready, willing and able to install free smoke alarms and provide valuable fire safety information to residents in their homes. Northeast Ohio residents can visit the Operation Save-A-Life website to contact their local Red Cross chapter and schedule an appointment for a free home safety inspection, free smoke alarms and free installation.

It’s our goal to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to home fires by 25% over a five-year period. Last year, the Red Cross and its partners saved at least 102 lives as part of its nationwide Home Fire Campaign, and in Northeast Ohio, 12 lives were saved and more than 12,500 free smoke alarms were installed in homes throughout the Region.

Red Cross, Partners Help Euclid Residents Prepare for and Prevent Home Fires

Posted on August 9, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Lincoln Electric Volunteers, Euclid Fire Department Personnel Participate in Fire Safety Walk

Nearly 100 homes in Euclid now have working smoke alarms, following one of the largest Fire Safety Walks ever held in Northeast Ohio. 283 smoke alarms were installed on Saturday, August 6, 2016, with the enthusiastic help of volunteers from Lincoln Electric and our partners at the Euclid Fire Department.

“We were able to get into 95 homes and install 283 alarms. That is approximately 3 per home,” said John Gareis, Regional Manager of Preparedness and Community Planning in Northeast Ohio.

Combined with a similar effort last summer involving Lincoln Electric volunteers and the Euclid Fire Department, almost 650 smoke alarms have been installed in that Euclid neighborhood as part of Operation Save-A-Life, the American Red Cross initiative in Northeast Ohio to reduce the number of casualties in home fires by 25%. John Gareis continued, “While the total number of alarms is less than last summer, our targeted area has far fewer homes in them – making this install more efficient overall!”

As was the case last summer, Lincoln Electric CEO Chris Mapes worked alongside employees to install the smoke alarms, and to provide residents with valuable fire safety information. And Mike Parks, Regional CEO of the Red Cross in Northeast Ohio contributed to the effort, along with Red Cross volunteers and staff.

Mike Parks, Chris Mapes and John Gareis

“The partnership between Lincoln Electric, Euclid Fire, and the American Red Cross is a winner to be sure and a model for others, not only in the Region but throughout the country,” Parks said. “I know the event had an extremely positive impact, and will help prevent the loss of life due to home fires.”

Last year, more than 100 lives across the country were saved after smoke alarms were installed by the Red Cross and our partners.

Home fires remain the biggest disaster threat to individuals and families in the United States. There are three home fires, on average, in Northeast Ohio every night. Operation Save-A-Life, part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign is in direct response to that dire threat, with the Red Cross committing to install 2.5 million free smoke alarms in neighborhoods at high risk for fires, and to educate those residents about fire prevention and preparedness.

More than 12,500 smoke alarms were installed in homes in Northeast Ohio last year.

If you would like a free fire safety inspection of your home, and free installation of smoke alarms, log onto redcross.org/neoosal. You can also visit redcross.org/homefires to find out more about how to protect you and your family from fire. You can also become a Red Cross volunteer. And you can help by donating to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations to Disaster Relief will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

Click on the photo to see a gallery of pictures taken during the Euclid Fire Safety Walk.

Photo credit: Cal Pusateri, American Red Cross Communications Volunteer

NEO Region Far Surpasses Goal for Number of Smoke Alarms Installed

Posted on May 2, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

A National Leader in Number of Smoke Alarms Installed

Volunteers from Global Prairie and the Maple Heights Fire Department helped install more than 100 smoke alarms on Thursday, April 28, 2016. Photo credit: Cal Pusateri/American Red Cross Volunteer

Thousands of residents in Northeast Ohio are better protected from home fires, as the American Red Cross Northeast Ohio Region has surpassed its goal of installing 10,000 smoke alarms during fiscal year 2016.

More than 12,500 smoke alarms had been installed in the homes of residents in the 22 counties served by the Northeast Ohio Region in fiscal year 2016.

“This was truly a team effort in all five chapters, and reflects the efforts of the entire staff, our dedicated volunteers, and our valuable community partners,” said Mike Parks, Regional CEO. “Northeast Ohio is one of the top three leaders in smoke alarm installations in the nation, which is only fitting, since this life-saving program started in Cleveland almost 25 years ago.”

The American Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness Campaign was modeled after “Operation Save-A-Life,” an initiative between the Red Cross Greater Cleveland Chapter and the City of Cleveland Division of Fire. Through the program, valuable fire safety information is shared with residents, including how to develop an escape plan. The installation of free smoke alarms is also offered.

The goal of the initiative is to reduce the number of fire deaths and injuries in the U. S. by 25% within five years.

Dozens of people are alive today after smoke alarms installed through the Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness Campaign, including a family of 12 from Lorain, Ohio.

Residents in Northeast Ohio can learn more about the campaign, and can request a free fire safety inspection and free smoke alarm installation by logging onto redcross.org/neoosal.

See more photos from the Fire Safety Walk in Maple Heights with our partners from Global Prairie on our Facebook Page. And read about recent smoke alarm installation events in Akron and Madison Township on our blog.

Want to get our blog posts emailed to you directly each time one is posted? It’s simple to subscribe by email – just enter your email address on the left side of our home page, www.neoredcross.org!

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American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Region

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