Photo By Senior Airman Tammie Ramsouer | A fire truck from Fire House No. 3 responds to a simulated explosion during the annual...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - The Red Cross of Alaska and volunteers installed smoke alarms in the local community in support of the American Red Cross’ Home Fire Preparedness Campaign in Anchorage, Alaska, March 21, 2015.
The Home Fire Preparedness Campaign is a five-year initiative which aims to educate the public on the dangers of home fires and reduce mishaps.
“This Saturday represents a continuing statewide commitment to Alaska to reduce deaths and injuries from home fires by 25 percent over the next five years,” said Tanguy Libbrecht, Alaska Red Cross chief executive officer.
Since January, individuals from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and the local community have visited 66 homes to install smoke detectors and educate the public on the dangers of home fires.
“Home fires are the primary cause of [fire related] fatalities,” said Alex Fonteyne, disaster program manager for the Red Cross of Alaska. “Approximately seven people a day die from them.”
Preparing your family and home is the best way to ward off the dangers of home fires.
“Smoke detectors are the first line of defense when it comes to protecting your family and property,” said David Donan, JBER fire chief. “We recommend checking your smoke detectors monthly and changing the batteries every six months.”
In addition, Donor said households that use fossil fuels for heating or cooking should also install carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless and can cause severe illness or death if not detected.
In addition to installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, the JBER Fire Department recommends learning the primary causes of home fires so residents can avoid potential disasters.
According to Donan, unattended cooking is the lead cause of home fires. In the world today we try to maximize time by multitasking, and think there is no harm in leaving cooking food unattended. However it only takes a moment for a fire to catch and rapidly spread throughout the residence.
The Red Cross suggests taking the following steps to plan and protect homes against house fires:
• Check existing smoke alarms.
• Residences without smoke alarms are encourage to install them. At a minimum, put one on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Local building codes vary and there may be additional requirements where someone lives.
• Test smoke alarms regularly today, and if they don’t work, replace them.
• Ensure family members know how to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes.
• Practice that plan. What’s the household’s escape time?
“I encourage people to contact the JBER Fire Prevention Office at 552-2620 or visit our JBER Fire Prevention Official Facebook at [https://www.facebook.com/JBERFireprevention] to get helpful information or assistance in preparing their personal fire prevention program,” Donan said.
In addition to the JBER fire department Facebook page, the following sites also provide information for emergency preparation and mitigation: www.ready.gov, www.preparedness.gov and www.redcross.org.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2015 19:14 |
| Story ID: | 157961 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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