Chantel Robinson and her goddaughter Hailey helped install smoke alarms on their former block after a home fire. Photo by Alana Mauger/American Red Cross
Chantel Robinson is determined to turn her family’s tragedy into a force for good. Chantel lost her mother during a fire at her Northeast Philadelphia home on March 10, 2022.
“I think I was in shock when the Red Cross arrived,” she recalled.
Chantel is grateful for the comfort and care the Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers provided to her family, including her son Marquan and goddaughter Hailey, both 19, who were living in the home.
“It was more than the financial support, although we needed that – we lost everything,” she recalled. “It was the ongoing care, the conversations, the compassion.”
Chantel shared that Charline Scott from the Red Cross Spiritual Care Team called her every day for weeks to check in. And when she moved into her cousin’s home a few days after the fire, Red Cross volunteers came out to install smoke alarms there.
Inspired by the care she received, Chantel wants to make sure other families don’t experience the loss of a loved one. In May, she worked alongside the Red Cross volunteers to install smoke alarms on her former block.
“Awareness in the most important thing,” she said. “People need to know about the importance of smoke detectors. They need education.”
She acknowledges it was hard to return to her former block to distribute informational flyers a week before the installs, but she knows it may help save lives in her community.
Chantel is honoring the memory of her mother, Anginette, through her service.
“Take the time to tell your loved ones that you love them. Tell them what they mean to you.”
The American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region is leading Sound the Alarm smoke alarm installation and home fire safety events this spring with community partners, as part of a national Red Cross initiative in May and early June to install 50,000 free smoke alarms with partners in more than 50 at-risk communities across the country.
Red Cross volunteers, local firefighters and area businesses are teaming up to help install hundreds of free smoke alarms for local families in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Already this year, the Red Cross has responded to more than 250 home fires, leaving more than 1,000 people displaced in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
“Sound the Alarm is meaningful way to be a part of a larger movement while directly helping local families,” said Guy Triano, Regional CEO for the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania. “In just one day, you could help save a neighbor’s life by installing smoke alarms — which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.”
People can register now at redcross.org/philly to install free smoke alarms and share fire safety information with residents during local Sound the Alarm events. The first will be held Friday, May 6 starting at Wissinoming Park in Philadelphia. The second will be held in Upper Darby, Delaware County on Saturday, May 14, with a third occurring in Bridgeport, Montgomery County on May 21. A fourth event will be held in Southampton Township, Bucks County on June 4.
No prior experience is needed. Training will be provided at each event before volunteer teams, with members of the Red Cross and community partners visit area homes. Because of generous donations, all services are free and available for people in need. Can’t join the event? Help by donating to the Red Cross at SoundTheAlarm.org to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires — which account for most of the U.S. disasters that the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes.
IF YOU NEED A SMOKE ALARM
Residents in Southeastern Pennsylvania who need assistance can call 215-299-4029 to schedule an appointment for a free smoke alarm installation by the Red Cross. You can also register online at redcross.org/philly. During home visits, Red Cross volunteers and local firefighters will also share information on the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.
1,275 LIVES SAVED AND COUNTING
ThisSound the Alarm event is a critical part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which has helped save at least 1,275 lives since launching in October 2014. As part of the campaign in Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Red Cross and local partners have installed more than 17,400 free smoke alarms.
This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners including Wawa and The Wawa Foundation, State Farm and PECO.
Daylight saving time begins this Sunday, March 13, and the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region reminds everyone to TURN your clocks forward one hour and TEST your smoke alarms.
Did you know working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half? That’s why it’s critical to “Turn and Test” and take these lifesaving steps to stay safe from home fires — the nation’s most frequent disaster:
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and replace the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it.
Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. That’s because the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. Check the date of your smoke alarms and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Practice your two-minute escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to get out of a burning home before it’s too late. Include at least two ways to get out from every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows where to meet.
Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like. Talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.
“As many as seven people die in this country every day from a home fire, but smoke alarms cut your risk in half,” said Guy Triano, Regional CEO for the American Red Cross of Southeastern PA. “Protect your household this weekend. Turn your clocks forward and test your smoke alarms.”
Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to practice with your family. You can also download our free Emergency app by searching for “American Red Cross” in app stores.
The Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters every year and most of them are home fires. To help prevent fire-related deaths and injuries, the Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign with community partners in 2014 to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries.
In Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Red Cross has installed more than 17,000 smoke alarms since 2014. The Red Cross offers free smoke alarm installations in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. If you need smoke alarms installed in your home, click here or call 215-299-4029.
Red Cross volunteers and staff joined Norristown Fire Department to make homes safer through smoke alarm installations and fire safety education during the national MLK Day of Service. Photos by Alana Mauger
American Red Cross volunteers and Norristown Fire Department personnel braved Monday’s cold and slushy weather to commemorate the national MLK Day of Service by helping to make several blocks of DeKalb Street in Norristown safer. In total, 24 Red Crossers helped install 38 smoke alarms and provided fire safety education to 53 homes.
“It’s important for us to be back out here in the Norristown community making homes safer, especially after last year’s event was cancelled due to the pandemic,” said Guy Triano, CEO, Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania, at the start of the event. “And doing this work on MLK Day to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes it all the more meaningful.”
Red Cross Philadelphia Chapter Board Member John Susanin and Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania CEO Guy Triano participated in the event.
This is the fourth time the two organizations observed MLK Day together, although “smoke alarm blitzes,” as the fire department calls them, go back to at least 2014.
“Smoke detectors are the first line of defense should a fire occur. They are awake 24/7,” said Norristown Fire Deputy Chief Richard Lockhart. “It’s important to us to get them inside every Norristown residence.”
In addition to the Red Cross, the fire department performs smoke alarm installs five or six times a year with other organizations like the Norristown teacher’s union, football and baseball teams, and Pennsylvania American Water, to name a few.
Teams of Red Crossers and Norristown Fire personnel canvassed approximately six blocks of DeKalb Street.
On Monday, members of the fire department paired up with Red Cross volunteers and staff, working in five teams to canvas every home between the 800 and 1300 blocks of DeKalb Street. Since they had the day off, four high school students – including Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross Club youth members Liena Goddard and Amy Jung – joined the effort.
“I really enjoyed reaching out to the community and helping out,” shared Liena, a junior at Hatboro-Horsham High School. “It’s why I joined the Red Cross.”
Besides attending virtual meetings, the smoke alarm install was the first Red Cross event in which Liena and Amy participated. “But we’ll be doing more,” both girls assured.
Red Cross volunteers working to make Norristown homes safer.
The install came at a busy time for the Red Cross. As the temperature drops, home fire incidents increase. In fact, between Jan. 14-17, Red Cross responded more than 10 home fire and a water main break, all of which damaged homes.
“Every second counts when there’s a home fire. Escaping in less than two minutes can be the difference between survival and tragedy. Having working smoke alarms and practicing your fire escape plan with your entire family at least twice per year can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.”
Since its launch in 2014, the American Red Cross’s Home Fire Campaign has led to the installation of over 2 million smoke alarms and helped make close to 950,000 homes safer. Visit the Home Fire Safety section of our website to learn more.
Teams ended the event with pizza lunch, courtesy of Norristown Fire Department.
Southwest Philadelphia residents Aaron and Mohammed Zoe had their home made safer on May 8 by members of the Philadelphia Fire Department and Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional CEO Guy Triano and volunteer Elizabeth Von Baldes. Photo by Donn Greenberg
Create an escape plan. Practice a two-minute drill. Test your smoke alarms monthly. These are the core messages delivered by American Red Cross volunteers and staff during the 2021 Sound the Alarm Day of Action on May 8. Adjusting tactics for the pandemic, four small groups of volunteers and Red Cross staff partnered with the Philadelphia Fire Department to help make 135 homes safer through fire safety education.
Three groups met with residents outside their homes in the Elmwood neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia, while members of the Philadelphia fire department installed smoke alarms – 38 total – for those who requested them. Red Cross volunteers included Board member David Poindexter, Mary Noll and Elizabeth Von Baldes.
At the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the fourth group of Red Crossers introduced home fire safety tips to community members participating in the vaccine clinic there. Volunteers Heidi Dampman, Diane Minanno, and Will Dobnak were on-site to provide information, share escape planning tips, and schedule no-cost smoke alarm installations by the Philadelphia Fire Department with community residents. Thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of our volunteers, 111 people received information to keep their households safe.
Volunteers at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (from left): Heidi Dampman, Diane Minanno, Marta Rusek, and Will Dobnak. Photo by Donn Greenberg
Residents were most shocked to learn that a fire can double in size every 60 seconds (hence the reason the Red Cross encourages homeowners to create and practice escape plans that are no more than two minutes long). In addition to a two-minute escape plan, our volunteers shared the importance of planning and practicing two escape routes.
Though the weather was chilly outside, volunteers radiated excitement for the campaign and a desire to share life-saving information. “Sound the Alarm is so much fun!” said Diane Minanno. “It’s not just for volunteers – [in non-pandemic years] you can bring your family, and some family members eventually become volunteers themselves!”
The Day of Action built on two months of fire safety education by teams of volunteers at the Convention Center. As of May 19, over 1,000 homes were made safer in Greater Philadelphia, with the Southeastern Pennsylvania region leading the nation. This number will grow as teams of volunteers continue their work at the Convention Center through June 15.
Our Sound the Alarm work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: FMC Corporation, Morgan Properties, The Triumph Group, and The Wawa Foundation.
To learn more about Sound the Alarm and to take the pledge to be prepared for home fire safety, visit SoundTheAlarm.org.
Red Cross volunteers and staff and members of the Philadelphia Fire Department met at Elmwood Park in Southwest Philadelphia before breaking into groups for May 8’s Day of Action. Photo by Donn Greenberg
This Saturday, May 8, Red Cross volunteers and Philadelphia firefighters will Sound the Alarm in Southwest Philadelphia as part of a national effort to educate 100,000 people about home fire safety in high-risk neighborhoods this spring. Volunteers will meet with residents outside their homes to share fire safety information and help them create an escape plan to practice their two-minute fire drill.
“Home fires remain the most frequent disaster during COVID-19, yet most of us don’t realize we have just two minutes to safely escape,” said Guy Triano, Regional CEO for the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania. “As families continue to spend more time at home during the pandemic, it’s critical that we help our vulnerable neighbors protect themselves from these everyday disasters.”
Philadelphia is among more than 50 at-risk communities participating in the national Red Cross Sound the Alarm initiative with partners. Year after year, the Red Cross and Philadelphia Fire Department work together to provide free smoke alarms and home fire safety education to city residents.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE
You can help protect your family against home fires with this four-step action plan:
Create an escape plan with at least two ways to exit every room in your home. Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet.
Practice your escape plan until everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes.
Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Change the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it.
Check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years or older, they likely need to be replaced. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.
Visit SoundTheAlarm.org for more information and to pledge to prepare your family against home fires.
Primary image description: a design featuring the Sound the Alarm logo (a blue hand pressing a red button on a smoke alarm), above the words “Save a life” and the Red Cross logo. On the right-hand side are three house fire prevention safety tips: “Create an escape plan., Practice your 2-minute drill., and Test your smoke alarm.”
Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday, and you know that means – time to ‘Turn and Test’ your smoke alarms at home!
Home fires are unfortunately the most common household disaster in America, even during COVID-19. During the month of October alone, volunteers from the Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania responded to over 35 home fires in our five-county region, which impacted the lives of more than 140 people.
“The need to protect ourselves from home fires hasn’t stopped during COVID-19,” said Guy Triano, CEO of the Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania. “That’s why it’s critical to have working smoke alarms, which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half. This weekend, take a few minutes to ‘turn and test’ to help keep you and your loved ones safe.”
New to the ‘Turn and Test’ game? No problem! After you turn back your clocks, just press the button on your smoke alarms, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Replace the batteries in your alarm(s) if needed — at least once a year, if your model requires it.
Looking for more ways to make sure you and your family are safe in case of a fire? Do the following:
∙ Replace smoke alarms that have been in use for 10 years or longer. The sensor inside becomes less sensitive as the years go by.
∙ Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, especially inside or right outside of bedrooms and sleeping areas.
∙ Create a two-minute escape plan and practice it with everyone in your home (including your pets). Two minutes is the amount of time you may have to escape a burning home before it’s too late. Practice at least two ways to get out of every room and choose a meet-up point where everyone can gather outside of your home, at a safe distance.
Visit the Red Cross website to learn how to make an escape plan with your family and access additional resources. You can also download the FREE Red Cross Emergency app to your smartphone or tablet for safety tips on-the-go (just search for “American Red Cross” in the app store).
Image description: A graphic with the American Red Cross logo at the top and a headline that reads – “Don’t forget to #TurnAndTest!” Underneath, there’s an illustration of a hand changing the time on an alarm clock, with the words “Step 1: Turn your clocks back one hour.” Next to Step 1 is an illustration of a hand pressing the Test button on a smoke alarm, with the words “Step 2: Test your smoke alarms.”
If you live in or around the city of Philadelphia, your evacuation plan may look something like this. | Design by the American Red Cross
Did you know that if a fire starts in your home you may have as little as two minutes to escape? Home fires claim seven lives a day in the U.S., but a new 2020 national Red Cross survey shows most of us aren’t taking the steps to protect ourselves.
Testing your smoke alarms each month helps ensure that they’re working — which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half. Still, the study shows 65% of us don’t. Practicing your escape plan twice a year also increases the odds of survival. But 70% of us don’t. Escaping in less than two minutes can be the difference between survival and tragedy, according to fire experts. Yet more than half of us think we have more time.
During a fire, early warning from a smoke alarm plus having a practiced escape plan in place can save lives. Smoke alarms should be placed on each floor and strategically located throughout your home. Each alarm should be tested once a month. Replace batteries at least once a year and check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years or older, they need to be replaced because the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
These two safety tips will protect your family in the event of a fire. | Design by the American Red Cross
MAKE AN ESCAPE PLAN.
• Include at least two ways to exit every room in your home.
• Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet.
• Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like. Talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.
• Practice evacuation with all occupants, including caregivers and babysitters until everyone can get out in less than two minutes.
• If a smoke and fire alarm is activated, evacuate immediately.
Is an escape plan in your family’s playbook? We can help you make one! Design by the American Red Cross
Many row homes are old with few escape options. Consider all exit possibilities. Fire can quickly spread from one row house to another. If you see or smell smoke from your house or someone else’s, immediately evacuate. Once you and others are safely out of your home, knock on your neighbors’ doors to notify them of a fire.
Apartments, high rise buildings, and school dormitories are required to have an escape map posted on each floor with designated exits and reminder not to use the elevator. When moving a student into a dorm make sure the student knows where the escape map and exits are. If possible, practice an escape. This is probably an “aw Mom” moment but explaining the ‘why’ could save a life.
Even in a year filled with wildfires, hurricanes and other storms, home fires remain the most common disaster that the American Red Cross responds to. From July 1 through August 31, the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region responded to 104 local emergencies, providing assistance for 443 families and 1,296 people in the five-county area.
Home fires kill seven people everyday. Fire Prevention Week begins October 7, and the American Red Cross reminds everyone to take two simple steps – practice fire drills at home and test smoke alarms monthly – to stay safe from the nation’s most frequent and deadliest disaster.
On average, seven people die every day from home fires, which take more lives each year than all other natural disasters combined in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association. But working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half.
That’s why the Red Cross is working with community partners to install free smoke alarms, help families create home fire escape plans, and provide public fire prevention and safety resources through its Home Fire Campaign, a nationwide effort to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries. Since the campaign began in October 2014, it’s reached more than 1.6 million people and is credited with saving 472 lives nationwide.
CTSY Adam Jennings/American Red Cross
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
Experts say that today’s home fires burn faster than ever, leaving people with only as little as two minutes to escape a burning residence. But many mistakenly believe they have more time, according to a Red Cross survey last year. During Fire Prevention Week, the Red Cross urges everyone to take these lifesaving steps:
Develop a fire escape plan with everyone in your household and practice it at least twice a year. Need help with your plan? Use these free Home Fire Campaign resources.
Install smoke alarms in your home, on every level and outside each sleeping area. Test them once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year if required.
Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what they should do if they hear one.
Make sure all household members know two ways to escape from every room.
A priority for the Red Cross is reducing fire deaths in Eastern Pennsylvania. On Wednesday June 6th, Red Cross volunteers participated in a neighborhood safety walk-through with the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Fire Protection Division and the Fire Department Explorers (the Fire Explorers is a program for teens and young adults interested in fire science, emergency medical services (EMS), disaster relief, emergency management, and military-related training).
During the three-hour event, Red Cross volunteers installed smoke alarms and discussed fire safety with residents of the North Philadelphia neighborhood around Bustleton Ave. & Van Kirk St. where a fire death recently occurred. The Red Cross participates in fatal fire walkthroughs along side the Philadelphia Fire Department to promote fire safety and install smoke alarms in at-risk communities.
Concerned residents warmly welcomed the volunteers, who explained that fires are a major issue in aging homes around Philadelphia. The most important thing someone can do to prevent fire is to install a smoke alarm. The second most important thing is to have an emergency escape plan. In almost every house visited, non-working and outdated detectors were found and replaced.
The Fire Department supplied smoke alarms while the Red Cross supplied drills and step ladders. Members of the Red Cross Spiritual Care team provided assistance to residents who needed support. WCAU Channel 10, the local NBC affiliate, recorded the event for coverage on its TV news program and online. Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel was on hand to thank the program participants.
You can check www.SoundTheAlarm.org/EasternPA to learn more, or access Volunteer Connection to sign up for an upcoming event. Disaster Action Team members are alerted to Fire Walkthrough in coordination with the Fire Department.
