Every year, the Red Cross responds to over 65,000 emergencies and most of them are home fires. These events may not make headlines, but they shatter lives. That’s why our Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers are always ready—24/7, 365 days a year—to deliver immediate relief, emotional support, and long-term recovery resources. When disaster strikes, our responders make sure families never face it alone. As the first Red Cross contact at the site of a disaster, DAT members provide comfort and direct assistance such as making sure their basic and immediate needs are met to help them begin their recovery journey.

No disaster is the same and each one provides it’s own unique challenges to those impacted. Our responders know to expect the unexpected but some days stand out. One seemingly “normal” Northwest Oregon day in January turned into a historic day for our team. In just one day, we did the following:

• Activated 8 responders
• Responded to 4 events, including 2 significant Multi-Family Fires
• Supported 26 adults, 11 children and 13 household animals

On this day, our responders answered a call to a severe multi-family fire in Gresham. One of those volunteers, Sandy Ramirez, recalled the experience, “I felt so privileged to be a part of this amazing DAT response in which the most competent, compassionate and caring Red Cross volunteers brought relief and comfort to the families affected by a terrible apartment fire. The clients and the apartment management were overwhelmed by the kindness and support they received from us!”

Rafael Gutierrez aided with Spanish translation and shared what he learned, “two Spanish speaking residents shared that they never imagined something like this would happen to them. They had seen the Red Cross in action many times before but had never considered the possibility of needing our services themselves.”

Home fires start unexpectedly and it can be hard to imagine yourself in that situation. However, fires happen often especially during the winter months and increased use of heaters and fireplaces. So how can you best protect your family, furry friends and valuable home goods? The best defense to home fires is fire safety and preparation.

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside every sleeping area. 
• Keep items that can catch on fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as space heaters.
• Smoking materials are the leading cause of residential fire deaths in the United States. So if you smoke:
  • Smoke outside; choose fire-safe cigarettes; use deep, sturdy ashtrays and douse cigarette and cigar butts with water before disposal.
  • Don’t ever smoke in bed, when drowsy or medicated, or if anyone in the home is using oxygen.
• Talk to children regularly about the dangers of fire, matches and lighters and keep them out of reach.
• Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room or go to sleep.
• Use flashlights when the power is out, not candles.
• Don’t leave a burning candle unattended, even for a minute.

It takes a team to make our mission possible. You can join our responders and help bring hope to your community. Join our volunteer responders at RedCross.Org/Volunteer.