Naval Station Everett readies Tulalip in Red Cross home fire campaign

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex Van’tLeven | 161022-N-LQ926-035 TULALIP, Wash (Oct. 22, 2016) Naval Station Everett Sailors and American Red Cross volunteers pose for a group photo at the Port Susan camp grounds during an American Red Cross home fire campaign event. The goal of the home fire campaign is to reduce fire related death and injury by 25 percent nationwide by the year 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex Van'tLeven/Released)  

TULALIP, WA, UNITED STATES

10.22.2016

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex Van’tLeven 

Navy Public Affairs Support Element, Det. Northwest

TULALIP, Wash. – Naval Station Everett (NSE) Sailors and local community volunteers participated in an American Red Cross home fire campaign at the Port Susan camp grounds, Oct. 22.

More than 20 Sailors helped install smoke alarms, and provided fire safety information for 190 different sites in Tulalip.

“The Navy played a very critical role for us,” said Bill R. Burns, American Red Cross disaster programs specialist. “They helped do installations, they headed up teams that went out to different areas within the site [and] installed smoke alarms and assisted us in that capacity.”

The installation was part of a national effort to ensure members of various communities are up to date with fire readiness.

“Our goal is to reduce the amount of injuries, or deaths, associated by fire by 25 percent across the nation,” said Burns. “We’re doing that by going out to different facilities, whether they’re low income, or senior facilities and installing smoke alarms for free, because we all know smoke alarms save lives.”

According to the American Red Cross seven people die every day from a home fire, while 36 suffer serious fire-related injuries.

Sailors and volunteers, not only installed smoke detectors, said Olivia Burley, service to the Armed Forces coordinator for the American Red Cross, NSE.

“It’s not just when the batteries die, 10 years is the life of a smoke detector and most people don’t recognize that the smoke detector itself is defective and that’s why a lot of lives are lost during fires.”

Volunteers checked the age of existing smoke detectors, replaced batteries in functional detectors, and installed new ones. They also inspected homes for obvious fire hazards and worked with families to write an evacuation plan in the event of a fire.

“It’s one of our big priorities and getting the military out here to engage [the community] is big for providing the volunteer staff for the event,” said Burley. “It’s also big because the Red Cross has a strong relationship to serve the military and the more we interact with the military community, the more they realize the service we can provide them when they need us.”

The Snohomish County Red Cross chapter sent out information to various communities that are at higher risk including elderly and mobile home communities. The Port Susan install was the largest taking place during the statewide push.

“We’re giving back to the community, that’s what we do, we serve,” said Chief Petty Officer LaHaunn Moore, from Tennessee, stationed with NSE Chaplain’s office. “I think the Navy and the American Red Cross made some huge strides in people’s lives today. I think they got to know our presence is here, that we care, and that Sailors in the Northwest care about their well-being.”

• Date Taken: 10.22.2016
• Date Posted: 10.24.2016 16:33
• Story ID: 212779
• Location: TULALIP, WA, US