American Red Cross to host volunteer orientation in Southbury

The Red Cross will host a new volunteer orientation at the American Red Cross Southbury office at 385 Main St. South, Southbury on Thursday, September 8 from 3-4 p.m.

Disasters can strike at any time, and the most common disaster threat people face across the country is a fire in their home. The American Red Cross urges everyone to be ready for emergencies like home fires by creating a disaster plan for their household during National Preparedness Month.

People should also install smoke alarms on every level of their home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. They should test the alarms monthly, replace the batteries at least once a year and replace them every ten years.

Families may have as little as two minutes to safely escape a burning home and a working smoke alarm can double a person’s chances of surviving a home fire. “On average, we respond to about two home fires per day, and our volunteers are the ones who answer the call to provide assistance,” said Neil McGurk, Regional Chief Disaster Officer, American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers to perform its mission and is currently seeking volunteers for all lines of service and leadership positions.

The hour-long orientation session is designed to introduce new volunteers to the history of the Red Cross and to learn about all of the local volunteer opportunities available. Those interested in attending the session must register in advance online at www.redcross.org/ct/volunteer.  For more information please call 860-678-2788.