The American Red Cross is known for being on the scene when emergencies occur; however, there’s more to the agency’s work than many might realize.

This includes its Home Fire Campaign in Colorado Springs and Pueblo. “It truly represents southern Colorado,” said Phil Martinez, executive director of Red Cross Southeastern Colorado.

“We’ve shifted a lot of attention to our preparedness plans. We’re working with school districts and businesses to teach what to do in the event of a fire. This is something we plan to continue,” Martinez added. “We let people know they only have two minutes to leave to get out once the smoke alarm goes off.”

The Red Cross has worked with the Colorado Springs and Pueblo fire departments for its Home Fire Campaign.

“We can provide and install fire alarms as we talk about fire safety. We talk about an evacuation plan to find the quickest way to leave,” Martinez said. “We’ll also go back every three to six months to put in new batteries. It’s all about making people feel safe.”

All of the information shared with students is designed to be appropriate to their learning level. “We know the message stays with the kids because we’ll get calls from their parents who are teachers asking if we can come to their schools,” he said.

 “For the younger kids we now have a mascot: Pedro the Penguin. The kids get so excited and are immediately interested in what we have to say.  We’ve talked to hundreds of kids through the school programs,” Martinez said. “I’ve personally reached about 600 kids myself. I’ve even worn the Pedro costume on occasion. The kids are really captivated by the penguin.

“For the youth program, we teach what should be in a to-go bag. This is everything from medications to the dog’s leash, from clothes to cellphone chargers.”

The Red Cross also provides safety kits for people to carry in their cars. The kits include a LED light system, poncho, safety blanket, first-aid kit and few other items to help in the event of an accident, Martinez explained.

Martinez said he’d like to create Red Cross clubs at area colleges. “We’re always in the midst of recruiting volunteers and we feel like the younger generation should be informed. A Red Cross Club would be a way to draw on volunteers to inform not only others on campus, but assist with our ongoing programs.”

The Be Red Cross Ready program is geared toward businesses to help them be prepared in the event of a fire. This addresses employee evacuation plans and provides tips for what to do in an emergency.

As a follow-up for businesses, there’s a website for the participating companies to register with, which is constantly updated.  “They can use this to review what was presented and see what’s new.”

There is also a Red Cross Emergency App, which can be uploaded. It provides updates on weather, floods, fires, whatever is happening in your area, Martinez said.

“All of our programs are free,” Martinez said. “The smoke alarms, the safety kits, the booklets we distribute. But clearly it does cost the Red Cross to provide these things. Without our association with the Empty Stocking Fund we couldn’t do these types of programs. It’s safe to say the Empty Stocking Fund helps save lives.”