Get the Facts on Fire Safety!

According to the NFPA an estimated 890 lives could be saved each year if all homes had working smoke alarms. Help keep your family safe! Learn more about how to prevent fires in your community with Team Firestopper!

When do home fires happen?
Home fires can happen at any time, but they generally increase during the fall and winter, with December and January being the peak months. Home fires are also more common on Saturday and Sunday, and tend to peak between 6:00 and 7:00 PM.

Where are home fires most likely to start?
Home fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in the home. The second leading cause of home fires are heating sources like wood stoves, and fireplaces. Fires caused by smoking are the leading cause of deaths.

How can I prepare for a potential home fire?
Smoke alarms are a critical step in being prepared for a home fire. Smoke alarms should be installed outside each sleeping area and on each level of your home. If you and your family sleep with the doors closed, install smoke alarms inside sleeping areas, too.

My home has a smoke alarm, is that all I need to do?
No, to function properly, smoke alarms must be maintained. Once a month you should use the test button to check each smoke alarm. And at least once a year, all smoke alarm batteries should be replaced. In addition, smoke alarms can become less sensitive over time and should be replaced at least every 10 years.

How can I help victims of home fires?
The number of families that the American Red Cross supports in the aftermath of home fires has increased 10 percent since 2000. Your local Red Cross chapter depends on the generous support of community members like you to help our neighbors affected by home fires. You can help victims of home fires by ensuring your local Red Cross is ready to respond. Contact your local chapter to make a financial contribution today.

These fire facts are brought to you by Team Firestopper! We’re working to stop fires before they start in your community! For more information or fire tips, visit www.chicagoredcross.org/tfs or www.redcross.org/homefires!


Sources: American Red Cross, U.S. Fire Administration*, and the National Fire Protection Association

Restoring Grace to Grace House: Overview and Musings

Household fix-its can be a chore. Painting, construction, cleaning – let’s face it, the process can be arduous. But for AmeriCorps preparedness members, renovating a transitional shelter was less of a mundane task and more of a utilitarianism venture.

The 14 AmeriCorps volunteers in the Red Cross’ Safe Families Program traveled to Decatur to fix up Grace House, a 90-day transitional shelter for women and children. They made the jaunt on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and sought to do more than revamp the rooms. They wanted to turn Grace House into a home – not just four walls and a roof, but a place of comfort and sanctuary.

Volunteers had six weeks to organize the overhaul of a shelter 180 miles away. They collected donations, put out media bulletins, contacted corporations and planned out the day’s tasks.

Megan McCarthy, an AmeriCorps member with the Safe Families Program, led the project’s planning and execution. She said the AmeriCorps members received 1,663 material donations and $950 in just a few weeks’ time.

“The scope of this project was immense,” McCarthy said. “With the limited timeline and limited staff resources on account of the holidays, we really shot for the stars on this one.”

On the menu for the renovation: Painting five rooms, thoroughly cleaning the living spaces, building countless furniture items and moving around bulky items. It was a massive project, and all crammed into a 14-hour work day.

McCarthy, who is also a member of Illinois LeaderCorps, said that there were several obstacles to the project. However, the project was a success and the volunteers had a palpable, indelible effect on the residents of the shelter.

“Grace House got what it needed, and we got to be a part of making that happen,” McCarthy said.

After weeks of reflection, project leaders say the extent of the project is still difficult to portray. But most members agree: After massive planning, daunting tasks, physical exhaustion and hours upon hours of painting, the residents of Grace House are now more likely to get back on their feet. Positive surroundings can go a long way. And at the day’s end, benefiting a part of society often neglected by the layman can feel downright good.

From the Decatur Herald-Review:

“Americorps volunteers from all over the state spent Monday making the house feel more like home. That included cleaning and painting the five bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor, as well putting plastic on the windows and replacing the furniture ...

... Day of Service activities in Decatur began Monday morning with the arrival at Grace House of a 17-foot truck bearing beds, linens and painting supplies. The truck and eight other vehicles carried 15 volunteers from Chicago, East St. Louis, Quincy and other parts of the state who came a day early for a training session at the Country Inn & Suites in Forsyth today.”

See the full story.

Who is your hero?

The deadline for nominating heroes for the eighth annual Heroes Breakfast is this Friday, January 29! Each year, the Greater Chicago Red Cross honors local people for acts of great bravery, dedication and service to the community at our Heroes Breakfast which will take place on April 14, 2010. To see clips from last year's breakfast visit http://www.youtube.com/chicagoredcross#p/u/14/C0PRS02JrsI

“We have many heroes among us. Their courage and good deeds solidify the mission of the Red Cross and help us carry it out,” said Fran Maher, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. “The Heroes Breakfast is our way of honoring these exceptional individuals who, in addition to their courageous response efforts, inspire others to impart good will on their community.”

To learn more about how to nominate a hero or for a list of hero categories visit www.chicagoredcross.org/heroes.

Who is your hero?

Mary, a 7 year old from Hinsdale, IL raised over $700 this weekend at her Bake Sale for Haiti! Her family, friends and teachers all pitched in to bake treats that were sold on Saturday at the Community House in Hinsdale. She is truly an inspiration as are all of you who have donated!

Our call volume is still really high, so the final tally for the Chicago Helps Haiti Telethon won't be in until tomorrow morning. Which is a good thing :) We have definitely raised more than $2.6 million though! This was a huge success, and we want to thank everyone who helped or donated!!

15 minutes left to call and donate to the Red Cross through the Chicago Helps Haiti Telethon!! 1-877-565-5000!

We've reached $2.6 million in donations!!! Amazing effort by everyone involved!

Check out these links to stories from other Red Cross volunteers in Haiti. The work being done there by our volunteers is so important and the people of Haiti are so inspiring. Thank you all for your continued support!

http://redcrosschat.org/2010/01/18/still-open-for-business/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/americanredcross/4286746712/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/americanredcross/4278342879/

$2,555,133 is our current total! ONLY ONE HOUR LEFT! Call or tell your friends and family to call! 877-565-5000. HUGE thanks to our volunteers and our callers!

Chicago Red Cross volunteers waiting the second flight of Haitians to arrive at O'Hare!

We've reached $2.5 million!!! Amazing work Chicago. We are so grateful!

The total is now $2,393,126! And only 2 hours left- This is the final push! The number is 1-877-565-5000. Call to donate if you haven't, or spread the word to family and friends! We really appreciate the support!

Photo of the icecream branded especially for the Chicago Helps Haiti Telethon! Our volunteers are enjoying it right now in between calls :)

WOW! $2,312,571 in donations as of 6:30pm tonight! This is awesome. Keep spreading the word on your facebook and twitter pages. Make it your goal to tell 2 other people to call before 11pm! 1-877-565-5000

We are officially over $2 million in donations! Amazing! Let's keep up the momentum Chicago!

We are now at almost $1.8 million in donations to help Haiti! Great job Chicago! BIG thank you to all of our callers :) Keep it coming! Call 1-877-565-5000 and give whatever you can.

Chicago Helps Haiti Telethon is Today!

Give now at (877) 565-5000 or visit www.chicagoredcross.org/haiti

Leave us a comment! Did you give? What inspires you about the relief effort?

11:57 a.m. It's almost lunchtime! And we've reached $1,517,513!!! Keep up the great work Chicago.

11:41 a.m. Time's flying and the gifts are pouring in! We have a new matching gift parternship with CDW. They will match individual donations that are $1,000 or more, with a total committment of $100,000! Let's get there!

9:20 a.m. We just topped a million!! We're at $1,212,336!! Keep it up, Chicago

8:30 a.m. New total: $841,249!! The Red Cross has 400 workers on the ground in Haiti, in addition to thousands of local volunteers. Reports now that there may be 2 million left homeless.

8:13 a.m. Sorry we're a little late getting on the live blogging wagon, but we're here now! The Chicago media have been at Hewitt all morning broadcasting from our call center and we've raised $810,404 so far! That's amazing! The McCormick Foundation is matching gifts at 50 cents on the dollar, up to $500,000. The gift isn't yet reflected in the total, so let's hit $1 million and see it spike!!

Our Relief Workers with Haitians at O'Hare

UPDATE: We have beautiful, professional photos like the one above from O'Hare last night, taken by Gerry Holmes, available on our Flickr page here. Hooray! Captions coming soon. (WGN just announced it's National Hugging Day. How appropriate.)

Many of you have heard that the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago is part of the welcoming team at O'Hare tonight for a flight of people who've arrived from Haiti. We were ready with blankets, mittens, food, and our disaster mental health volunteers--people who are trained to help disaster victims cope with the immense stress they're facing.

Here are some pics from inside the airport tonight (Do you spot Gov. Quinn? He's moving fast!). You can read the press release with full details here and keep up all night with our awesome volunteer who's tweeting from the Red Cross response at O'Hare, @HanaYi. Here are some choice tweets from her earlier in the night:

@HanaYi: Interview of woman-explains the aftershocks, today is the first big meal since the quakes and raves about Chicago's provided care #chihelpsHaiti

@HanaYi: Just held a 2 month old baby boy named Resu. Looking to locate some baby formula.

@HanaYi: Creating a serving system-taking groups to get food from the kitchen after they wrap up in jackets/scarfs/hats/gloves..

(Then Hana lost her contact lens)

@HanaYi: Still blind as a bat-but seeing more than I have ever seen #Haiti





More to come...

Chicago Helps Haiti: Live Blogging All Day!

The Chicagoland community will come together on Thursday, January 21 to give to the American Red Cross as we help the people of Haiti recover from the catastrophic earthquake that devastated their country last week.

The Chicago Helps Haiti media relief drive begins at 5 a.m. and lasts until 11 p.m. Nearly every TV and radio station in our area will be promoting this fundraising effort throughout the day. You can help too, by giving via phone or online, and sharing your thoughts here, on Facebook or Twitter, and by asking others to give.

To give from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. CALL 1 (877) 565-5000 or visit www.chicagoredcross.org/haiti


You can also text from your mobile phone. Send the word HAITI to 90999 to give $10 to Haiti relief.

We’ll be posting content here on this blog throughout the day. We’ll get news from our phone bank, which has been generously donated and staffed by the great people at Hewitt Associates in Lincolnshire.

We’ll also be posting facts and inspiring content about the Haiti relief effort from across the Red Cross network, re-posting your insightful comments and documenting what we’re sure will be a tremendous outpouring of generosity.

Stay tuned throughout the day as we blog live here!

Photo caption: Michaelle Fleamvil carries supplies distributed by the American Red Cross at Croix Desprez. She is helped by Red Cross worker Matt Marek. January 20. Photo: Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross. For more photos visit www.flickr.com/americanredcross

Do you know your Chicago fire trivia?!

Think you’re a trivia buff? Well we’re challenging you to test your knowledge about Chicagoland and its history with fire! Plus, learn a little more about what the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago does!

The Great Chicago Fire burned during October of _____ destroying about 4 square miles of Chicago and killing hundreds in its path.
a. 1892 b. 1871 c. 1902 d. 1805

What Chicago building was NOT spared during the blaze of the Great Chicago Fire?
a. Old St. Patrick’s Church b. The O’Leary’s home c. Chicago Water Tower d. Palmer House

Which of these is the higher ranking official in the Chicago Fire Department?
a. Battalion Chief b. Lieutenant c. Fire Engineer d. Captain

In the Chicagoland region, the American Red Cross responds to approximately how many residential fires a year?
a. 100 b. 500 c. 1,000 d. 5,000

At which school in the city of Chicago did a fire occur and spur reform of fire codes for school fire safety regulations around the U.S.?
a. Walter Payton b. Our Lady of Angels School c. New London School d. UIC

What month is typically celebrated as Fire Prevention Month?
a. January b. March c. November d. October

What is the name of the fire prevention program ran by the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago?

a. Team Firestopper b. Stop Fires Chicago c. The Extinguishers

Answers: 1: b; 2: d; 3: a; 4: c; 5: b; 6: d; 7: a

Fire Safety Tip of the Week: Practice a fire escape plan with the members of your household. Remember to find at least two exits out of every room and create a meeting place for all household members to go if a fire does threaten your home!

Fire safety tips are brought to you by Team Firestopper! We’re working to stop fires before they start in your community! For more information or fire tips, visit www.chicagoredcross.org/tfs or www.redcross.org/homefires!

Sources: Chicago Fire Department, American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, Wikipedia