Staff Writer
The Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross has been busy in recent weeks, responding to about a half dozen disasters in the local area that affected nearly two dozen people in less than a month.
“Responding quickly to four fire victim families in Aroostook County and two more families in Penobscot County since Valentine’s Day has kept the Chapter’s disaster volunteers even busier than usual,” stated Assistant Emergency Services Director Hilary Roberts in a press release in late February.
Roberts said this continues an unfortunate string of home disasters since last summer that has stretched the Pine Tree Chapter’s emergency housing, food, clothing, medication replacement and emotional support resources.
From Thursday, Feb. 14, through Wednesday, Feb. 20, the local Red Cross chapter assisted a number of families placed unexpectedly in need of help. The chapter helped a family of three in Washburn, two families totaling six people in Mapleton, and families of five in Madawaska, Holden and Orrington.
“These fires and these 22 disaster victims bring our total of household disaster responses since July to 108, more than we experienced all of last year, and the total number of victims served to over 250,” said Roberts.
Local fire chiefs indicated some of the fires might have been prevented had the families had their chimneys inspected at the beginning of the heating season.
“We’ve (Washburn) experienced at least one chimney fire this season. It’s so important to have chimneys inspected and cleaned, if necessary, to prevent fires from occurring,” said Troy Heald, Washburn’s assistant fire chief.
Darrell White, fire chief of the Presque Isle Fire Department, echoed Heald’s comments.
“We’ve handled a few chimney fires this season. A recent one caused considerable damage to the home. It might have been prevented had the chimney been inspected. It was an older home and flames got through a crack in the chimney,” said White. “A proper inspection can prevent such fires.”
While preventative measures, such as chimney inspections, can help reduce the occurrence of fires, incidents can’t always be avoided. Homeowners looking to save on home heating costs often turn to alternative fuels, such as wood or wood pellets. Officials advise homeowners to read the manuals that come with their heating units to determine how to properly use the equipment in order to keep their home and family safe during cold winter months.
Red Cross volunteers are there to help those in need of assistance.
“We are very proud of the many Red Cross volunteers who have responded so quickly to the recent fires in eastern and northern Maine,” said Pine Tree Chapter’s Executive Director Suzan Bell. “The Chapter is ready to be on the spot no matter how many local disasters there are, and we are able to do this in the ‘lower 48’s’ second largest Red Cross Chapter service area because so many trained volunteers give their time to help their neighbors.”
Bell added, “With emergency assistance costs in the first eight months of the operating year now approaching the amount predicted for a full year, pressure on the Chapter’s resources is increasing. All local disaster relief funds come from local donors, and we hope the public will respond generously with contributions to help their loved ones and their neighbors cope with disasters like the ones we have been dealing with in recent weeks.”
To help prevent future fires, the Pine Tree Chapter urges Mainers to exercise caution when using wood stoves and space heaters and to have an emergency kit ready in case disaster strikes. For information on preparing for disasters, local residents can call Roberts, emergency and preparedness services coordinator, at 941-2903 in Bangor; or Joyce Knorr, in Caribou, at 493-4620. Contributions can be sent to Pine Tree Chapter, 33 Mildred Avenue, Bangor, ME 04401 or donated by credit card online at www.pinetree.redcross.org. Donors can specify, when making a donation, what region they wish the money be used for.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
FIREFIGHTERS with the Presque Isle Fire Department responded recently to a chimney fire on the Chapman Road.
