Thursday, July 17, 2014

American Red Cross Making Capital Region Communities Fire Safe Fire safety outreach coming to Calaveras County this weekend




SACRAMENTO, Calif., Thursday, July 17, 2014 — The American Red Cross Capital Region is targeting “high-risk” communities to raise fire safety awareness and reduce fire risks. This Sunday, local Red Cross volunteers will begin an effort to educate and inform community members in Calaveras County about the dangers of home and wildfires and what they can do to prepare and reduce their risks.

“Home fires are by far the most common disaster across the country, so it is critical that everyone take steps to prepare and help prevent these tragedies,” said Kathleen Weis, Chief Executive Officer of the Red Cross Capital Region. “Building awareness and taking action is key to reducing the number of fire incidents in our communities.”


 
Working with local fire and law enforcement agencies, Red Cross volunteers will go door-to-door, canvassing local neighborhoods considered “high-risk” for fire emergencies, providing information directly to residents that will help them to prepare and protect themselves, their families, and their homes from the threat of home and wildfires.

This outreach effort aims to reach more than 3,000 homes in Calaveras County by October. Red Cross volunteers plan to be in the following areas on the following dates, though the info is subject to change:

  • July 20 - Central Calaveras Fire Protection District
  • July 27 - Mokelumne Hill
  • August 3 - West Point
  • August 17 - Copperopolis
  • September 7 - City of Angels
  • September 21 - Valley Springs/Jenny Lind/Burson/Wallace
  • October 5 - Murphys
  • October 19 - San Andreas

In addition to the canvassing events, the Red Cross also plans to participate in town hall meetings with representatives of the Calaveras County Office of Emergency Services, CAL FIRE, and local Fire Departments. Dates, times, and locations of Town Hall meetings will be determined at a later date.

For more information, please contact the West Point Fire Association at (209) 293-7005.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The Capital Region serves a twenty-four county territory including Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba counties. For more information, visit www.redcross.org/capitalregion or follow us on Twitter @RedCrossCRC..