Fire safety effort in Patterson neighborhoods Saturday

The Patterson Fire Department will team with the American Red Cross on Saturday to canvass at-risk neighborhoods in the city, installing smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors, replacing detector batteries, providing home-safety checklists and helping educate the community on the importance of having an emergency plan.

The so-called life-safety coalition consists of volunteers from the American Red Cross, the city of Patterson Fire Department, the West-Side Regional Community Emergency Response Team and the Patterson Volunteer Firefighters Association.

Saturday’s effort will kick off at 9 a.m. at the Center Building , across from City Hall.

Home fires are the greatest disaster threat to American families, according to a fire department news release. Seven people die every day from home fires, and a fire-related injury is reported every 40 minutes. Annually, home fires cause 2,500 deaths and roughly $7 billion in property damage.

The Red Cross’ Home Fire Preparedness Campaign aims to save lives, reduce injuries and build more resilient communities through raising awareness, facilitating preventive actions and fostering community participation. The national goal is a 25 percent reduction in home fire deaths and injuries in the next five years.

For questions or comments, contact Fire Chief Steven Hall at (209) 895-8130 or shall@ci.patterson.ca.us.

This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Fire safety effort in Patterson neighborhoods Saturday."