Red Cross Leader Spends Day on Disaster Duty, Delivers Joy to Sleepy Hollow Boy

Josh Lockwood, CEO of the American Red Cross Greater New York Region, spent a day – a very cold day – in the shoes of his army of volunteers.

As part of a mission to raise awareness about fire safety – particularly in light of the spike of fires we experience in the northeast at this time of year – and to highlight the important work Red Cross volunteers do daily around the clock, Lockwood himself spent Monday through this morning on 24-hour disaster relief duty.

The first fire his team responded to on Monday was the residential fire on North Washington in Sleepy Hollow that left one family with “half of their apartment with major damage from the fire itself” and the whole thing “definitely uninhabitable," Lockwood said.

Extended family lived in the one apartment, with a total of three children under the age of 18 affected. Among them was a “very sweet” four-year-old boy who was overjoyed that his ruined Christmas presents would be replaced.

“This time of year around the holidays, we have donors who provide gifts and we come with packages pre-made,” Lockwood said.

Reactions when one’s home is ravaged can cover the spectrum; this family, said Lockwood, were only full of gratitude for the help they were offered. He described the Spanish-speaking family as “so wonderful and incredibly grateful."

As Lockwood joined his volunteers in assisting this family with getting items they lost and securing housing (for now, at a local hotel), he talked to reporters on the scene about how Red Cross volunteers make themselves available for emergencies 24-hours-day, 365 days a years. 

As early indication pointed to an electrical problem behind the Sleepy Hollow blaze, Lockwood also talked about the escalation of fires in homes this time of year and preventative measures.

Here are winter fire safety tips from the U.S. Fire Administration and FEMA. 

Lockwood learned first-hand the challenges his volunteers face of serving such a wide region with so many fires. There are six to 10 disasters every day in the greater New York region, he said, “and you can’t be everywhere at once; that’s what I’m finding.” 

There were three simultaneous fires on Monday morning – one in Mount Vernon, another on Long Island -- and he could only be at one.

From Sleepy Hollow, Patch caught him in the car en route to the next fire of the day in Astoria, Queens. All in a day’s work.