Oh, (Cold) Snap! 10 Furnace Safety Tips

Posted on November 9, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By: Sue Wilson, Volunteer Leader and Board Member

Two years ago, 10 kids and two adults escaped a home fire in Lorain that began in the furnace.

Take a minute to consider your furnace. Here are 10 tips to keep your family safe when the temperature outside goes down, and the heat inside goes up.

Have an annual furnace check up from a service professional to make sure that your system is running efficiently and safely. They’ll make sure there are no leaks, venting issues, broken parts or frayed wires that could be a hazard.
Keep the area around your furnace clear. Don’t store anything potentially flammable near the furnace or water heater; especially newspapers, clothing, boxes, rugs, paint or chemicals. Vacuum dust, dog hair or anything that could sucked into a vent or open flame of a pilot light.
Clean or change your furnace filter monthly. A dirty filter will cause your furnace to operate less efficiently and cost you money. It could also block airflow and increase the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) leaking into your home.
Never use an oven or stove as an alternate heating source, as there is a serious risk of CO poisoning from fumes.
Purchase a CO detector if you don’t have one and test and replace batteries of the ones you have in your home.
Make sure your home has working smoke detectors. Change the batteries every 6 months. If you are in need of a smoke alarm, call the Red Cross at 330-535-2030 to request free installation by one of our volunteers.
The area around your furnace and water heater should be a child-free zone to protect them from potential burns from hot vents or open flames, and to insures they will not inhale dangerous fumes.
Space heaters are not intended to heat an entire home. Exercise extreme caution when using unvented, electric or propane space heaters, and follow instructions to lessen the chance of a fire or carbon monoxide exposure.
If you smell gas, leave the area and call the fire department, or gas company.
Make sure you have a fire escape plan, and that everyone in your home knows it and a designated meeting place once out. For more information on fire prevention click on this link on the Red Cross.

Neighborhood Now Safer in Slavic Village

Posted on October 17, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Firefighters, Volunteers Help Red Cross Install Smoke Alarms

More than 100 homes in the Cleveland neighborhood known as Slavic Village are now safer, following a home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event last Saturday, October 14.

Cleveland Councilman Tony Brancatelli wrote the following message in an email the day after the event:

“Here is some info on the recent American Red Cross, Sound the Alarm and Save A Life event in Slavic Village on Saturday. Volunteers from the Red Cross including many from “Hope Worldwide” and including our local Cleveland Fire Department walked throughout our neighborhood knocking on doors and installing free smoke detectors as part of a Country Wide national installation event.

We want to thank Regional Disaster Officer Timothy O’Toole from the American Red Cross for coming into our community as part of the National “Sound the Alarm, Save a Life” program and installing hundreds of smoke detectors free for our families. Special thanks to all the volunteers from “Hope Worldwide” and our local firemen for making this event such a huge success. Timothy O’Toole (former Cleveland Fire Chief) asks for those not home that they can still call 216-361-5535 for a smoke detector.”

We thank Councilman Brancatelli for his support of Red Cross efforts to make neighborhoods safer, and we thank the Cleveland Fire Department for their ongoing partnership, which began in 1992 as Operation Save-A-Life.

Group Shot II

See more photos here, in our album on Flickr.

KeyBank Volunteers Help the Red Cross Make Homes Safer

Posted on October 13, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

About 60 homes in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood are now safer, after volunteers from KeyBank helped the American Red Cross and the Cleveland Fire Department distribute valuable fire safety information, including home escape plans on Saturday, October 7, 2017. They also helped install more than 150 smoke alarms.

“It’s been proven that working smoke alarms save lives,” said Don Kimble, KeyBank Chief Financial Officer and member of the Board of Directors for the Red Cross Greater Cleveland Chapter. “I’m grateful to our employees who helped make a neighborhood safer by installing smoke alarms in so many homes.”

The Sound the Alarm Home Fire Safety and Smoke Alarm Installation Event took place on the day before the start of National Fire Prevention Week. The Red Cross promotes fire prevention all year long, offering safety tips that can help make your home safer.

“There’s no better time to develop a fire safety plan for your family than this week,” said Mike Parks, Regional CEO, Red Cross of Northeast Ohio. “And working smoke alarms cut the risk of serious injury or death due to home fire in half.”

See our photo album of the event on Flickr. For more information on the Red Cross Home Fire Safety Campaign, visit our website at redcross.org/neo.

Partners Help Make Parma Homes Safer

Posted on May 10, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Young Professionals Help Protect People in Parma from Home Fires

A new partnership proved to be fruitful for residents in a neighborhood of Parma on Saturday, May 6. Members of the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club joined forces with the Red Cross and members of the Parma Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) to install more than two-dozen smoke alarms in homes where needed. The volunteers also performed home fire safety inspections and offered valuable fire prevention and safety education.

The Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club is the longest-running young professional association in Northeast Ohio. The mission and vision is to enrich the lives of young professionals, to foster the future leaders of Cleveland. The group is independent, open and inclusive, and membership represents a wide range of cultures, backgrounds and professions, and touching the lives of more than 1,000 young professionals through its programs on an annual basis.

“Our volunteers from The Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club enjoyed working together with the American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland and Parma Cert to help install free smoke alarms in people’s homes,” said Melanie Raese, Philanthropy Director of the Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club. “It was a fun, team building experience and we learned about fire safety. We are grateful to serve our communities and to work alongside those dedicated to building safer neighborhoods.”

Since 2014, Red Cross volunteers, along with fire departments and other partners, have visited homes installing free smoke alarms, replacing batteries in existing alarms and providing fire prevention and safety education to prevent needless tragedies. More than 26,000 smoke alarms have been installed in homes in Northeast Ohio in the past two years. This fall, the Red Cross will celebrate the program with Sound the Alarm, a series of home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events nationwide. Volunteers will install 100,000 free smoke alarms in high risk neighborhoods in Akron, Cleveland, and more than 100 other cities across the country, culminating in the installation of the one millionth smoke alarm!

If you would like to help us Sound the Alarm about fire safety and help save lives, visit us at redcross.org/neo and click on the Volunteer tab. More information about Sound the Alarm is located here.

See more photos, taken by Red Cross volunteer George Scherma, on Flickr.

Team Effort Makes Maple Heights Neighborhood Safer

Posted on April 24, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

More than 40 homes in Maple Heights are safer, after volunteers from several veteran-related service groups partnered with the Red Cross and the Maple Heights Fire Department to install smoke alarms and share fire safety information on Saturday, April 22.

Volunteers from The Mission Continues, Team Rubicon, and Team Red White and Blue went door-to-door in a neighborhood near Maple Heights High school to check existing smoke alarms, replace batteries, and install new smoke alarms where needed. They also shared valuable fire safety information.

The Mission Continues empowers veterans who are adjusting to life at home to find purpose through community impact. They deploy veterans on new missions in their communities, so that their actions will inspire future generations to serve. The Cleveland 1st Service Platoon was launched this month.

Maple Heights resident Mikoyan Headen receives fire safety information from Red Cross volunteer Bill Renninger of Team Rubicon

Mikoyan Headen is happy to have Red Cross fire safety information

Mikoyan Headen was grateful to have new smoke alarms installed in her home. She survived a home fire as a child. “Our house looked like burnt toast,” she said. “We lost everything and had to completely start over.”

Volunteers from another service group joined the Fire Safety Walk as well. Three members of “We’re Not Famous, But We Made It” also installed smoke alarms where needed. Volunteer James Davenport said, “Our members have hit bumps in the road along the way. We want to make sure we give back to the community.”

Dawud Hamzah, james Davenport and Amir Hassan of We’re Not Famous But We Made It.

It’s a perfect time to give back. This is National Volunteer Week (April 23-29) and the Red Cross offers many volunteer opportunities. Visit us at redcross.org/neo to begin the application process.

See more photos from the Fire Safety Walk in Maple Heights by visiting our Flickr page.

Smoke Alarms Installed on MLK Day of Service

Posted on January 17, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Austintown, Boardman Residents Receive Fire Safety Information Along with Smoke Alarms

Among the many community groups taking part in the 2017 MLK Day of Service was the Red Cross. Volunteers from the Lake to River Chapter visited homes in Austintown and Boardman to distribute valuable information meant to keep families safe in the event of a home fire. They also installed smoke alarms where needed.

Four teams of volunteers fanned out to install more than 60 alarms in 27 homes. Their efforts were covered by WKBN.

Smoke alarms cut the risk of serious injury or death due to home fire in half. The Red Cross launched its Home Fire Campaign, know locally as Operation Save-A-Life, in 2014, with the goal of reducing the number of fire-related deaths by 25% over a fire year period.

So far, more than 130 lives across the country have been saved because residents were alerted to fire in their homes by smoke alarms.

If you are in need of smoke alarms in your home, log onto the Operation Save-A-Life page.

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Photo credit: Paul Wadowick/American Rede Cross volunteer

The Globetrotters and the Great Assist

Posted on December 19, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Legendary Basketball Heroes Provide Help and Hope in the Face of Disasters

When you’re 6’ 8” tall, you don’t need a ladder to install a smoke alarm.

Unless your ceilings are REALLY high.

Harlem Globetrotters forward Zeus McClurkin installs a smoke alarm in a home on Lawnview Avenue in Cleveland, as Regional CEO Mike Parks and Disaster Program Specialist Emily Probst observe. Photo credit: Jim McIntyre/American Red Cross

Zeus McClurkin, a forward for the Harlem Globetrotters, accompanied Regional CEO Mike Parks and other Red Cross workers and firefighters from the Cleveland Fire Department on Monday, December 12 to install smoke alarms in homes on Lawnview Avenue.

Residents who live in 25 homes in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood are now safer, after Zeus and the rest of the volunteers installed 75 smoke alarms.

“Having working smoke alarms cuts the risk of injury or death in a home fire in half,” said the eight-year veteran of the team. “I’m happy to help the Red Cross with this lifesaving mission.”

Zeus McClurkin installs a smoke alarm in the home of Cleveland resident Mikael Raheem

Cleveland resident Mikael Raheem receives fire safety information from Disaster Program Specialist Emily Probst, as CEO Mike Parks and Zeus McClurkin observe

Disaster Program Specialist Emily Probst shares fire safety information with Cleveland resident Teressa Jackson, as Zeus McClurkin installs a smoke alarm

Cleveland firefighter Marco Lavender, Cleveland City Councilman T. J. Dow, Cleveland Fire Lt. Daphne Tyus, Regional Red Cross CEO Mike Parks, Cleveland resident Mikael Raheem, and Zeus McClurkin

Since 2014, the Red Cross has installed more than 500,000 smoke alarms nationwide. Nearly 13,000 smoke alarms were installed in Northeast Ohio last year. Together with the Harlem Globetrotters, local fire departments and other community partners, our goal is to install our one millionth smoke alarm by October 2017 to help Americans stay safer from home fires.

Every eight minutes, the American Red Cross responds to a disaster, most of which are home fires, which claim more lives annually than all major disasters combined. The Red Cross and the Harlem Globetrotters have teamed up through The Great Assist initiative to help communities across America to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters big and small. Join with us as we raise urgently needed funds to support families during times of crisis throughout the year. Your donation can bring help and hope to those who need it most. Text ASSIST to 90999 to make a $10 donation now that will truly make a difference.

The Globetrotters played 2 games at Quicken Loans Arena on December 27^th.

In addition, the team played at the Canton Civic Center on January 27, and at the Covelli Center in Youngstown on January 28.

Let the Annual Weather Games Begin

Posted on December 13, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

May the forecast be ever in your favor….

If you like snow and cold, you are REALLY in luck this week. According to our partners at the Weather Channel, Northeast Ohio is in for some outstanding winter weather with snow giving way to freezing temperatures and then back to an icy, wintery mix over the next 10 days.

But we’ll leave the forecasting to the professionals.

Let’s chat about some things that you and your family can do to prepare for the winter weather that is upon us. But first, please remember your friends and neighbors – especially those who may have functional or access needs – and check on them. Help them get prepared as well, if you are able!

Build a kit – just in case (like Buffalo a few years ago) we get a wall of snow overnight and you can’t leave your home for a few days.
Plan for an emergency – who will you contact, consider your animals, learn about fire safety.
Stay informed – listen to weather forecasts, heed their warnings.
Prepare for power outages.
Download the Red Cross Emergency App or, go to redcross.org and search emergency app.

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After Escaping Home Fire, Ravenna Family Turns to Red Cross for Relief

Posted on November 18, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

norton-family-in-their-hotel-room-edna-jerome-sr-raymil-and-malik-1
It was an ordinary August morning for Edna Norton until she returned home to find her house ablaze.

Surrounded by nearly a dozen fire trucks, Norton rushed to meet her family outside of their home in Ravenna, Ohio. Much to her relief, her husband and sons made it to safety after the eldest rescued his 18-year-old brother, who uses a wheelchair. But the threat to her family’s lives and destruction to their home left her distraught.

A Red Cross volunteer responding to the fire came to Norton’s side, offering comfort and support.

“She had a spirit about her. She was so calming and soothing,” Norton said of the volunteer. “She made you feel like you could make it through. She was very knowledgeable. I was a wreck. She made me sit down. Gave me water. She was still there after [the first responders] were leaving.”

The Red Cross helped Norton and her family figure out their next steps, addressing urgent needs such as replacing prescription medications that were destroyed by the fire. She said she’s grateful for the support to develop a path for their recovery.

edna-norton-with-red-cross-worker-debbie-chitester-2 “To lose everything and to know [there are] people out there that care…There are a lot of good people out in the world,” she added. “I’m telling you that I had so much generosity, so much love, from strangers saying, ‘What can I do to help?’”

If you would like to volunteer as a member of the Red Cross team, visit www.redcross.org/neo and click on Volunteer.

Photos: Mary Williams/American Red Cross

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

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American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Region

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