Red Cross Urges Preparedness During National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 7-13

October 4, 2007 -- The American Red Cross urges families to prepare for and take action to prevent home fires during National Fire Prevention Week—Practice Your Escape Plan, October 7-13. Home fires are not only the most common disaster that the Red Cross responds to but also the most preventable. Nationally, the number of home fires the Red Cross responds to is up 10 percent since the year 2000. Alarmingly, only 26 percent of families have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan, according to a May 2006 poll conducted by ORC International on behalf of the Red Cross.

The American Red Cross recommendations include:

• Identify two ways to escape from every room in the home.
• Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
• Select a safe location away from the home where your family can meet after escaping.
• Consider purchasing and storing escape ladders for rooms above ground level and make sure to learn how to use them.

Last year, the Red Cross responded to more than 74,000 disasters in communities across the United States, 93 percent of which were fire related. For more Red Cross fire safety and preparedness information visit www.redcross.org/homefires.