No More Fire Deaths Task Force on Mission to End Fire Fatalities

The American Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Fire Department, WAWA, and The Boston Consulting Group joined forces to end fire -fatalities in Philadelphia. The group has come together as community leaders forming the No More Fire Deaths Task Force to develop a program that targets smoke alarm installations and fire safety education in lower income areas. The Task Force presented their program to the Jewish Business Network of Philly to bring resources and fire safety awareness to Philadelphia.

By Stephanie DeMarco, Global Philadelphia Ambassador

The American Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Fire Department, WAWA, and The Boston Consulting Group joined forces to end fire -fatalities in Philadelphia. The group has come together as community leaders forming the No More Fire Deaths Task Force to develop a program that targets smoke alarm installations and fire safety education in lower income areas. The Task Force presented their program to the Jewish Business Network of Philly to bring resources and fire safety awareness to Philadelphia.

In the past five years, 147 people have died as a result of single-family home fires with more than 60% of home deaths occurring in homes without a working smoke alarm. In order to combat this, the Task Force installed 3,200 smoke alarms in 1,200 homes over a course of three months. As a result, No More Fire Deaths Task Force saw fire incidents decreased by 32%, zero fire deaths, a 90% decrease in fire injuries, and 4 households saved. The Task Force’s plan of increased smoke alarm installations and fire safety education is a success.

The Fire Department stressed the importance of families having a fire drill in their home. A successful fire drill means having a plan where a family safely evacuates the home in less than two minutes. The Philadelphia Fire Department not only fights fires but also is engaged in provisioning fire detectors, fire detector maintenance, and checking wiring in homes for fire safety. The Philadelphia Fire Department is ranked in the top five cities for fire response times and their work in preventing fire fatalities continues to grow.

This collaboration and commitment to fire safety between The American Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Fire Department, WAWA, and the Boston Consulting Group helps make Philadelphia a national leader in the fight to end fire fatalities.