Warwick Fire Department teams up with Red Cross for Home Fire Preparedness

WARWICK — If a fire starts in your home you may only have two minutes to escape.

That's one of the messages volunteers from the Warwick Fire Department and the American Red Cross brought to Village of Warwick homes on Saturday, July 18.

The pre-event canvassing by volunteer teams from both organizations was designed to offer free smoke alarm installations, which will take place this Saturday, July 25.

The Red Cross and many local fire departments have instituted a nationwide effort to combine new technology and innovation with old-fashioned neighbor-to-neighbor outreach.

The stated goal is to save lives, reduce injuries, and cut down on needless losses by reducing the number of fire deaths and injuries in the United States by 25 percent within five years.

In addition to providing quality, cost effective fire protection, the volunteers of the Warwick Fire Department frequently offer fire prevention education.

In Warwick, the coalition with the Red Cross Home Fire Preparedness Campaign is supervised by Fire Department Lt. Chad Quackenbush, who serves as chairman of the program, and his co-chair Lt. Mike Contaxis.

The pre-canvassing teams last Saturday assembled in the CVS parking lot and visited homes from West St. to Grand St. If a resident was not at home, they left a notice in both English and Spanish that they or anyone else in the area could schedule an installation by calling 845-673-1198.