NEW YORK, NY October 5, 2022 — This Fire Prevention Week (October 9-15), the American Red Cross in Greater New York urges everyone to practice their two-minute home fire escape plan and test their smoke alarms to stay safe from the nation’s most frequent disaster.

Two minutes is the amount of time that fire experts say you may have to safely escape a home fire before it’s too late. These crises account for most of the 1868 disasters that the Red Cross responds to each year across the Greater NY Region – New York City, on Long Island, in Westchester and Rockland Counties, and in Greenwich, Conn. — where home fire responses are 31% higher during cold months than warmer times of year.

“As the threat of home fires increases with colder temperatures, Fire Prevention Week serves as an important reminder to prepare now,” said Mary J. Barneby, CEO, American Red Cross in Greater NY. “Practice your two-minute home fire escape drill and test your smoke alarms monthly to help keep your family safe.”

HOW TO PRACTICE YOUR TWO-MINUTE DRILL Practice your plan with everyone in your household; also teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like and what to do in an emergency. Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including a printable escape plan and safety tips for cooking and home heating — the leading causes of home fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which is sponsoring Fire Prevention Week with the theme, “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape.”

• Include at least two ways to exit every room in your home in your escape plan.
• 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.
• Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and 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 because components such batteries can become less reliable. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.
• Tailor your escape plan to everyone’s needs in your household. If you or a loved one is deaf or hard of hearing, install strobe light and bed-shaker alarms to help alert you to a fire. Visit redcross.org/ASL-disaster-resources for more information, including resources in American Sign Language.

IF YOU NEED HELP If you cannot afford to purchase smoke alarms or are physically unable to install one, the Red Cross may be able to help. Visit www.soundthealarm.org/gny to sign up today.

HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN SAVE LIVES Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign with community partners has saved at least 1398 lives – including 21 across the Greater NY Region – by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country. Locally in Greater New York, Red Cross volunteers and partners have installed nearly 191,000 alarms and helped make over 69,700 households safer. To learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved, visit www.soundthealarm.org/gny

This work is made possible thanks to generous financial donations from regional partners: American Express, Ascena Foundation, Assurant, Barclays, Blackstone Charitable Foundation, BNY Mellon, Breakthru Beverage Group, Casual Home Worldwide, Citi Foundation, ​Con Edison, Credit Suisse Americas Foundation, Equitable, ​FDNY Foundation, Global Industrial, Guardian Life Insurance, Hello Taiwan powered by Biacomm, KPMG, Lemonade Insurance, L'Oréal USA, LVMH, Inc., Major League Baseball, Marsh McLennan, Mastercard, Medidata Solutions, MetLife Foundation, Morgan Stanley, National Grid – GNY, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, New York City Football Club, Northville Industries, Northwell Health, Paramount Group, PepsiCo Foundation, Proskauer, PSEG Long Island, Pure Insurance, SMBC Global Foundation, Inc., Sony, State Farm, TCS Tata Consultancy, The Estee Lauder Companies, The QBE Foundation, State Farm, Thomson Reuters, Turner Construction, UBS, U.S. Bank, Veronica Beard, Wafra Inc, Warner Bros. Discovery, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Wells Fargo.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.