Local American Red Cross volunteers responded to a home fire in the 13900 block of Round Grove Road in Morrison, Illinois, the afternoon of Wednesday, July 3, 2013. The team of Red Cross volunteers helped coordinate assistance in the form of food, shelter, and emotional support due to fire damage to the home. The Red Cross is currently assisting one adult.
Between July 1, 2012, and May 31, 2013, the American Red Cross of the Quad Cities Area assisted 223 families after a disaster. Last fiscal year, the Red Cross assisted 143 families total.
The Red Cross recommends two easy steps to help protect your home and loved ones from a fire: get a smoke alarm and create a fire escape plan. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA.)
- Place smoke alarms on every level of your home, including bedrooms.
- Test smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries at least once a year.
- Have a plan in place to help you escape, including at least two ways to escape from every room of your home.
- Set a meeting spot at a safe distance from your home.
Discuss the plan with everyone in the household and practice it at least twice a year. Red Cross volunteers on the scene were members of the Chapter’s Disaster Action Team, a group of specially trained volunteers, who respond to the scene of a local disaster when called upon, at any time of the day or night.
For more Red Cross fire safety and preparedness information visit www.redcross.org/homefires or www.redcross.org/quadcities.
To make a financial donation to your local Red Cross, to help people affected by house fires and other disasters here in the United States and around the world, people can click, call, or text. Visit www.redcross.org/quadcities, call 309-743-2166, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.