Red Cross Offers Safety Tips for Fire Prevention Week

On Monday, National Fire Prevention Week will be in full swing. The week-long awareness event has brought forth a number of notes for small businesses to take down.

According to a release from the American Red Cross, "fire is the most common of all business disasters." The United States Fire Association recorded that non-residential building fires accounted for $2.4 billion in losses in 2010.

Linda Carbone, CEO of Florida's West Coast Region and the Tampa Bay Chapter, said, "Fires can spread very quickly, so everyone at home, school and work should know what to do when they hear the sound of a smoke alarm."

Be Prepared

The American Red Cross is offering a checklist of tools to ensure one's preparedness in the event of a fire:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of the house and inside bedrooms.
• Replace batteries in smoke alarms at least once a year. Test each alarm monthly by pushing the test button.
• Ensure that household members know two ways to escape from every room and designate a place to meet outside of your house in case of a fire. Practice your plan at least twice a year.
• Follow your escape plan in case of fire. Get out, stay out, and call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.
• Download the American Red Cross First Aid App to get access to life-saving information on what to do for common, everyday first aid emergencies. The app is available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play for Android.

Visit the American Red Cross online for more fire safety tips. Businesses can use the free Red Cross Ready Rating Program to complete an online assessment that tracks current readiness and customized feedback to improve it. 

"In order to continue responding to disasters like fires at homes and
businesses here in Florida, the Red Cross depends on the generous support of
individuals and businesses in the community," added Carbone. "Donations to
help the Red Cross help others and can be made to your local chapter or by
donating to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. On those rare occasions when
donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are
used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters."

Helpful Links-

• American Red Cross website
• American Red Cross blog