Thanksgiving is a peak time for home cooking fires in the U.S.

[PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 25, 2024] — The two most common days for cooking fires in the United States are Thanksgiving and the day before. Cooking causes an average of 158,400 home fires per year, which is 44% of all home fires in the United States. The American Red Cross, Cascades Region, offers safety steps everyone can follow if they will be preparing their family’s Thanksgiving feast.

“Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, home fire injuries and the second leading cause of home fire deaths,” said Jonathan Seibert, Red Cross Regional Disaster Officer. “Most happen because people leave cooking food unattended. We want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable holiday, so please don’t leave the kitchen while you’re cooking.”

COOKING SAFETY TIPS Follow these safety tips and visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including a fire escape plan to practice with your family.

• Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food.
• Use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.
• Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.
• Keep kids and pets at least three feet away from cooking areas.
• Keep anything that can catch on fire — potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains — away from your stove top and oven or any other appliance that generates heat.
• Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.
• Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen.
• Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving home to make sure all stoves, ovens and small appliances are turned off.

Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year. If you cannot afford to purchase smoke alarms or are physically unable to install one, the Red Cross may be able to help. Contact your local Red Cross for more information. 

HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN SAVES LIVES Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, working with community partners, has saved at least 2,212 lives by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country. To learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved, visit redcross.org/homefires. 

About the American Red Cross: 

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood and is the primary blood supplier to 65 hospitals throughout Washington and Oregon; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members, and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media. 

Meet the Incredibly Strong 5-Year-Old Whose Life was Saved by 40 Blood and Platelet Transfusions

Community encouraged to give blood in honor of this little hero

HILLSBORO, OR (November 19^th) — The community is invited to donate blood in honor of Emmi Bradley at a special American Red Cross blood drive November 21, 2024, from 9:30am to 2:30pm at Hidden Creek Community Center. Emmi and her mother, Stephanie, will be present and willing to talk to the media at the drive from 9:30am to 12pm. 

Emmi Bradley was only three years old when she was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia – a rare disease in which the bone marrow does not produce an adequate number of new blood cells.

She was reliant on blood and platelet transfusions until September of 2023 when she got a match and had a bone marrow transplant. 

Her mother, Stephanie Bradley, recalls, “She was surviving on blood and platelet donations for an entire year of her life. From her initial appointment on May 12^th, she spent 72 nights in the hospital, had 37 appointments that weren’t part of overnight stays, and 17 anesthesia procedures”. 

After going through the many long and tough days at the hospital, Stephanie says that blood and platelet donations, “saved our daughters life so if you can, you should donate. And it’s not a one-time thing, Emmi had 40 transfusions and that was just one person".

B-ROLLL & PHOTOS OF EMMI: here. 

READ MORE ABOUT HER STORY: here. 

Donating blood is one of the simplest things a person can do to help celebrate a person’s life. For the hour it takes to give blood, there could be a whole community of people thankful for another birthday given to a loved one.

To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Completion of a RapidPass^® online health history questionnaire is encouraged to help speed up the donation process. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.