According to officials, as part of today’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, more than 100 volunteers with the American Red Cross, Newark Fire Division, Newark Office of Emergency Management, and participating partner groups went door-to-door to homes in areas of Newark’s Central, West and South Wards to educate families about fire safety and install free smoke alarms in homes that needed them.
“We are proud to honor the legacy of Dr. King by joining together with Newark, PSE&G and other corporate and community partners to help save lives,” said Ana Montero, CEO, American Red Cross New Jersey Region.
“Thanks to their service, hundreds of people in Newark are better prepared should a fire occur in their homes and have the tools to help them take simple steps to prevent home fires.”
The City of Newark and Newark Office of Public Safety have partnered with the Red Cross for its Home Fire Campaign to help reduce the number of home fire-related injuries and fatalities.
Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose stated, “Seven times a day, someone in this country dies in a house fire. Chief Jackson and I, in corroboration with the American Red Cross, have partnered together to help increase the chances that our residents can safely escape their homes in the event of a fire. The first step in this process is by ensuring that residents have a working smoke alarm, which will alert them in the event of a fire and give them the best chance of surviving and safely escaping.”
Volunteers assembled at United Community Corporation, who hosted the event at their West Side Park Community Center. Participating partner groups included volunteers from PSE&G, Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, Hope Worldwide, Friends of Rigby Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and Seton Hall.
Volunteers canvassed more than 1,500 homes with fire safety information, installed more than 320 free smoke alarms, and helped more than 165 Newark families create fire escape plans.
Newark Fire Chief Rufus Jackson stated, “In addition to checking, providing and installing smoke alarms, we informed residents about fire prevention and what to do and not to do if there is a fire. This information, coupled with a properly functioning smoke alarm, can significantly increase survival rates during a fire. This isn’t a new event; we have been conducting this joint venture with the American Red Cross on Martin Luther King Day for a number of years and look forward to continuing this worthwhile venture. It is just one way of giving back to our community. Such a small investment can have a dramatic impact on saving lives.”