A Message from red cross
by Steve thomas

Unfortunately, and for very good reasons, October is National Fire Prevention Month.

Nationwide, home fires are, by far, the most common disaster - and the deadliest.  On average, seven people die in home fires every day - more people annually than all other disasters combined.  Worse still, the risk of injury or death from a home fire doubles for those who are 65 or older; in an average year, more than 50% of all home fire fatalities are seniors.

To prevent fires in your home, it helps to know where and how they begin.  Home fires most commonly start in the kitchen (46%), usually when we step away from a cooking appliance (like a stove) while it’s in use.  A “quick minute” away becomes 5 or 10, and we return to a frying pan spewing smoke - or worse!  

Our Red Cross aphorism is “Keep an eye on what you fry.”

Electrical fires are also common (25%), especially when furniture, clothing, or other flammable materials are too close to a heat source like a fireplace, furnace, radiator, or space heater.   

Another Red Cross motto: “3 feet from the heat!”  

Overloaded outlets or old wiring can cause sparks or electrical surges, and charging electronic devices on soft surfaces (like couches or beds) can generate enough heat to cause combustion.  

Although smoking causes relatively few home fires (5%), these fires result in nearly 25% of all fire fatalities.  Smoking while on oxygen is a tragic and preventable cause of these fatalities, as is smoking while drowsy, while in bed, or at a window with curtains or drapes.

The single most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones is to install smoke alarms in your home.

When fires occur, you have precious little time to escape – often as little as 2 minutes before a room is consumed by deadly heat, smoke, gases, and flames.  Smoke alarms are early warning devices that reduce your risk of injury or death in a home fire by half!  

The good news? 

The American Red Cross will provide and install brand new smoke alarms for FREE!  There’s no catch, no gimmick, no eligibility guidelines, and alarms are available everywhere in Maine.  

If you or a loved one needs new smoke alarms, please call the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit https://www.redcross.org/local/me-nh-vt/about-us/our-work/home-fire-campaign.html to sign up to receive them.  

Please help us keep all Mainers safe from home fires!