Red Cross Volunteers Walk Door-to-Door Helping Families Stay Safe

With all the attention received by major disasters, four out five Americans don't realize that the most common disaster threat is not hurricanes or floods - it's home fires. And while home fires can occur anytime, anywhere and to anyone, African Americans are disproportionately affected.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, African Americans represent 25 percent of all fire-related deaths. And children are even more affected within the African-American community; they are more than twice as likely to die in a home fire than the rest of the population. The good news is home fires are preventable. Access to safety equipment, like smoke alarms, and basic information to help with family evacuation planning will go a long way, but knowing how to contact the Red Cross in an emergency will also prevent families from experiencing homelessness, hunger and desperation following a fire.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s memory, Red Cross volunteers turned concern for these communities into action.Volunteers walked house-to-house delivering fire safety door hangers in English and Spanish to approximately 4,000 homes.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• red cross
• tampa
• volunteer
• fire
• safety
• house
• walking