By Jenny Farley and Akriti Farmahan

As Philadelphia families prepare to spend more time indoors this fall and winter, Lisa Stokes has a message for residents: don’t wait until a disaster happens to think about fire safety. 

Lisa knows firsthand how quickly a fire can change lives. 

Her connection to the American Red Cross began long before she experienced a disaster herself. In 1997, her daughter Mariah was born at just 25 weeks, weighing only one pound. Doctors gave her only 72 hours to live. 

Mariah survived thanks in part to blood transfusions provided through generous Red Cross blood donors. 

“Those blood transfusions were made possible through the donations from total strangers to keep my daughter alive, to give her a chance to live,” Lisa said. 

Years later, in 2013, a fire in a neighboring home spread and filled Lisa’s house with smoke and soot, destroying nearly everything inside, including the medical equipment her medically fragile daughter relied on daily. 

Suddenly, Lisa and her two daughters had nowhere to go. 

“I ended up standing in front of the Red Cross House just looking up like I cannot believe that I’m here,” she recalled. 

The Red Cross House, located in Philadelphia, is the only facility of its kind in the nation. It provides temporary housing and support services for families displaced by home fires and other disasters. 

When Lisa arrived at the Red Cross House, staff worked alongside her to accommodate Mariah’s unique medical needs. 

“They were able to give me and my daughters a place to not only lay our heads, not only provide three meals a day for us, but they allowed a safe space for me to understand everything that happened to us and then begin to rebuild,” she said. 

Today, Lisa shares her story to encourage others to prepare before disaster strikes. 

“Fires can happen to anyone,” she said. “You don’t think it’s going to be you until it is.” 

Her experience mirrors findings from a recent American Red Cross survey showing that while most Philadelphia residents believe they are prepared for a home fire, more than half do not have a home fire escape plan and very few have practiced one. 

This Fire Prevention Week, the Red Cross and Philadelphia Fire Department are encouraging residents to take simple steps that could save lives: 

• Test smoke alarms regularly. 
• Create a two-minute home fire escape plan. 
• Identify two ways out of every room.
• Practice fire escape plans with everyone in the household.
• Follow lithium-ion battery safety guidance.

For Lisa, preparedness is about more than emergency plans. It’s about knowing help is available when people need it most. 

After leaving the Red Cross House and returning home, Lisa made a promise to give back. 

More than a decade later, she remains one of the region’s most dedicated Red Cross volunteers, serving in numerous roles and helping other families facing difficult moments. 

“When people understand that there’s people out here willing to help you, it changes your perspective,” Lisa said. “Red Cross is it for me.” 

As Fire Prevention Week reminds families to prepare for emergencies before they happen, Lisa hopes her story serves as a reminder that a few minutes spent planning today could make all the difference tomorrow.