Home Fire Hazard

While designer handbag knock-offs might make you look fashionable, purchasing some counterfeit products to save a few bucks could cost you more in the end. In 2007 UL (Underwriters Laboratories-a product safety certification organization) sent out a press release warning consumers of counterfeit surge protectors. So what's the big deal?

Well, the surge protectors in question were using undersized wire and insufficient insulation. On top of that they didn't have a ground wire or surge protection. This information may be Greek to you (it's Greek to me, too.) The main thing you need to know is that the product's failure to meet UL standards made it a fire hazard and put users at risk of electric shock.

Make sure you are up to date on product warnings and recalls by visiting UL's Public Notices page.

Also, for you savvy shoppers out there, electronics and handbags aren't the only products with a false façade. Check out this video from Yahoo Finance featuring the Top 5 counterfeited products. Warning! You may want to toss that designer impostor perfume you bought at the drug store.

Fire Burnin'

New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits. Everyone knows that part of the story thanks to LFO (RIP Rich Cronin), but one of my favorite NKOTB stories has to do with a “new kid” allegedly starting a fire that threatened a treasured Louisville landmark—the Seelbach Hotel.

I’ll let you choose whether or not to read the whole story, but in a nutshell, back in 1991 “new kid” Donnie Wahlberg was accused of starting a fire outside another guest’s room in retaliation to a noise complaint. The fire left nothing more than a small burn on the hotel’s carpet. Unfortunately, not all hotel fires end so well.

Check out this footage from a fire at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas circa 1980. 85 people died and 700 were injured. The fire triggered the creation of many new fire safety requirements. If you’re short on time, skip ahead to the 6:30 mark for a few tips on fire safety during hotel stays.


Thanks to NFPA for posting the video.

As for Donnie Wahlberg, while googling I was unable to discover the final charges in his case, but the “new kid” is currently starring in “Blue Bloods” on CBS. The Associated Press announced Monday that Donnie just finalized a divorce from his wife of ten years. Gossip sites are reporting that he doesn’t seem too upset. I guess the fire in their relationship had burned out.

Remember Fire Safety

It's not quite fire safety week, but a weekend fire in Louisville resulting in two deaths is a grim reminder of the importance of practicing fire safety every day.

Research conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) shows that nearly 3,000 people in the U.S. die every year in home fires. From 2003-2006 two-thirds of home fire deaths occurred in homes with no smoke alarms. Keep yourself and your family safe using the following tips:

• Install a smoke alarm on every floor of your home and in each bedroom or sleeping area
• Test smoke alarms once month by pressing the "test" button
• Replace batteries once a year
• Create an emergency escape plan
• Know two ways to exit every room in your home/apartment

For more on fire safety, visit www.nfpa.org.

It's Better to Give than Receive

The older I get, the more those early lessons my parents taught me prove to be true. One such lesson is that it is better to give than receive and it's always appropriate during the hectic holiday months.

It really hit home for me when I volunteered at the Louisville Red Cross and Louisville Professional Firefighters Union Local 345 23^rd Annual Holiday Party on December 16. We got the opportunity to give a little bit of holiday cheer to over 300 Kentuckiana children who lost their belongings to home fires in the past year.

Being witness to that many young people getting to visit with Santa and not go home empty handed was quite a delight. However, the smile on faces of their parents and guardians was equally rewarding.

I had the privilege of speaking with Shawn, who takes care of her two grandchildren. She told me that they lost just about everything to a fire a few months ago. Thankfully, the family is getting back on its feet and Shawn had high praise for the Red Cross, an organization that until recently, she thought was just for donating blood. Our local chapter responds to about 25 home fires every month and provides victims with assistance for food, clothing, prescription medications, temporary shelter and other special needs a family may have. Shawn referred to the volunteer that helped her family as their "little angel." What was really moving was that Shawn, who didn't consider herself the "volunteer type," was so taken by her experience with the Red Cross that she now volunteers at her local animal shelter.

It truly is better to give than receive.

Don't play with fire! ... Please :)

Waking up to a home filled with smoke is something no one expects and definitely not something anyone wants. That's just what happened this morning to families living in the Hunt Club Apartment Complex in Louisville. Luckily, everyone made it out safely, finding shelter across the street at the Auburndale Baptist Church or with family and friends. A total of six Red Cross workers were called in providing emergency assistance to 42 people.

By the time I arrived, the excitement had died down, but listening as our client caseworkers interviewed families (many of which lost everything) reinstated the importance of preparedness. Below are some tips that could just save your life, or just save you lots of money.

Make sure you have two escape routes planned. Some tenants from this morning’s fire climbed out of windows to escape.

Install smoke alarms! According to the National Fire Protection Association there were no smoke alarms present in 40% of home fire deaths that occurred from 2003 to 2006.

Make sure you have homeowners or renters insurance, which is offered by many car insurance providers. This will be a huge help during long-term recovery.

For more info on fire safety and preparedness, visit www.redcross.com.



Red Cross Disaster Action Team members Carrie Smith and Jammie Carlisle assist an apartment tenant after the fire.

Trick or Treat!

Stop by our Disaster Preparedness table at Mall of St. Matthews and Oxmoor Center Mall from 5-7 p.m. Saturday night. My fellow AmeriCorps members and I will be handing out Red Cross bags promoting both Halloween and Fire Safety during the malls store-to-store trick-or-treat. Each bag comes with a fire preparedness sheet, Red Cross magnet, 9 volt battery, Halloween safety tips and a few pieces of candy, of course. I hope to see you there!

In the meantime, here are some fun tips to follow this Halloween.

1. Map out the route that you plan to roam, so adults are assured you will find your way home!
2. From the bravest of superheroes to the noblest of knights, everyone should remember to bring their flashlights!
3. If you visit a house where a stranger resides, accept treats at the door and, please, don’t go inside.
4. When you get ready to put on your disguise, use face paint instead of masks, which will cover your eyes.
5. Always remember, before you embark, to wear light-colored clothing to be seen in the dark! (And remember to use reflective tape, even on bikes, skateboards and brooms!)
6. Whether you walk, slither or sneak, do it on the sidewalks and not in the street.
7. As you roam through the neighborhood collecting your treats, please look both ways before crossing the street! (And cross from the corner!)
8. Wigs, capes and costumes are flammable attire, so avoid open flames to prevent a fire!
9. Use a glow stick instead of a candle so your jack-o-lantern isn’t a safety gamble!
10. You may fly on a broom or a space ship from Mars, but please be on the lookout for drivers in cars! (And don’t hide between parked vehicles).
11. Monsters and zombies should stay off the lawn, and only visit homes with their porch lights turned on!
12. You may be dressed as a werewolf, a cat or a frog, but be cautious around strange animals, especially dogs.
13. Have a grown-up inspect your candy when you’re done trick-or-treating to remove open packages and choking hazards before eating.

Fire Prevention Week

Congratulations to Mr. Brad Jones, winner of an American Red Cross Disaster Kit. As part of Fire Prevention Week, chapter employees were given a goody bag containing fire safety and prevention tips, a 9-volt battery, LAC magnet and an Emergency Preparedness Checklist.

Everyone was asked to draw out their home emergency escape plans using the checklist floor plan. They labeled multiple exits and windows as well as smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, disaster kits and first aid kits.

Even though Fire Prevention Week is almost over, it's never too late to safeguard your residence against fires.

Create your own emergency escape plan, indentifying two ways out of every room and a designated meeting spot outside. Install smoke alarms on every floor, inside bedrooms and sleeping areas, and don't forget to test them once a month and replace batteries as needed.

With that said, Happy Fire Safety Month!

Knock, Knock ...

Long time no blog, but there has been plen-ty going on in Disaster Services. Today we kicked off a canvassing project to raise home fire awareness. Each year the Louisville Chapter responds to an average of over 400 family fires in Kentuckiana; 40% of those fires occur in West Louisville.

Earlier today, Red Cross volunteers as well as volunteers from our project partner BB&T went door to door handing out bags containing information on fire safety and prevention as well as a 9 volt battery for smoke detectors. Groups will go out every Friday and Saturday in September with a goal of reaching 3,000 homes in the area; 25,000 by the end of National Red Cross Month in March. So keep an eye out. We just may be coming to your neighborhood.