By Gordon Williams There is nothing as comforting as a blast of heat on a wintry day. That’s why we fill our homes with devices that generate heat on command. Figures from the American Red Cross show that “nearly half of American families use alternative heating sources such as space heaters, fireplaces or wood/coal stoves … Continue reading Stop home heating fires before they get started
Making the most of Fire Prevention Week
By Gordon Williams More than 350,000 American homes catch fire each year and more than 3,000 Americans die in those fires. It is to reduce the frequency and severity of those fires that the National Fire Protection Association proclaims Fire Prevention Week in the first week of October each year. The dates for Fire Prevention … Continue reading Making the most of Fire Prevention Week
How a Red Cross smoke alarm saved a life
Photo by Andy Clayton-King for the American Red Cross. By Gordon Williams Home fires claimed the lives of 1,576 Americans in the first eight months of 2021. That total might have been 1,577 if it were not for smoke alarms supplied by the Red Cross and installed by members of the Aberdeen WA fire department. … Continue reading How a Red Cross smoke alarm saved a life
How our virtual Home Fire Campaign can help save lives
April 27, 2019. Capitol Heights, Maryland. Photo by Dennis Drenner/American Red Cross By Gordon Williams The intent of the Red Cross Home Fire campaign is straightforward enough: to reduce home fire deaths by teaching fire safety lessons and by installing smoke alarms in households that don't have them. If times were normal, Red Cross … Continue reading How our virtual Home Fire Campaign can help save lives
The rules for Winter Holiday fire safety
By Gordon Williams It’s December, meaning we are deep into the winter holiday season. Hanukkah starts December 10; Christmas Day is the 25th and Kwanzaa starts on the 26th. Since all three celebrations include elements that can lead to home fires, we are also deep into the holiday home fire season. The best way to … Continue reading The rules for Winter Holiday fire safety
Take Steps Now to Fireproof Your Home
By Gordon Williams Fire Prevention Week, as proclaimed by the National Fire Protection Association, runs from October 4-10 this year. The dates for this annual event coincide with the anniversary of the Great Chicago fire that began on October 8, 1871. Image by Pexels from Pixabay Observe the event this year by taking steps to … Continue reading Take Steps Now to Fireproof Your Home
Preventing kitchen fires – a sequel
By Jennifer Astion On April 2, American Red Cross Volunteer Gordon Williams shared great tips for preventing kitchen fires and dealing with them if they break out in his article Why COVID-19 raises the risk of kitchen fires. Since it looks like we might all be eating at home for a while longer, I would like … Continue reading Preventing kitchen fires – a sequel
Washington couple saved by smoke alarms
By Emily Thornton Kathleen Dilworth with Westport Fire Chief Dennis Benn and Battalion Chief Daryl Brown She said she awoke to the sound of a smoke alarm and fumes filling her 1930s-era home in Grayland near the Washington coastline. But as Kathleen Dilworth moved toward the back door to escape, she realized her husband, James, … Continue reading Washington couple saved by smoke alarms
Why COVID-19 raises the risk of kitchen fires
By Gordon Williams A somewhat different version of this story appeared on this blog in November of 2018. It made the point that while fires can start in any room of your home, they are most likely to start in a single room — the kitchen. The article quoted Steve Goforth, assistant fire marshal for … Continue reading Why COVID-19 raises the risk of kitchen fires
Why Jackie Hershey volunteers to Sound the Alarm
By Gordon Williams Jackie Hershey gets a round of applause on her way to install smoke alarms in Seattle, 2019 Each time Jackie Hershey of Bellevue, Wash. heads out the door on behalf of the American Red Cross, she personifies two of the basic principles that guide the organization. First of all, she is a … Continue reading Why Jackie Hershey volunteers to Sound the Alarm
American Red Cross NW Region 