Dear Friends of ABF,

October has been a powerful month of action at ABF. Through our Plan. Prepare. Prevent. Initiative as part of Fire Prevention Month, we’ve led statewide efforts to raise awareness about fire safety and empower families with life-saving education.

As part of this campaign, I shared a timely op-ed, Fire Prevention Starts at Home: What Families Need to Know, spotlighting a sobering truth: you have just two minutes to escape a house fire before smoke becomes life-threatening. In Phoenix, over half of recent fire-related deaths occurred in homes without working smoke alarms. These tragedies are preventable—and education is key.

In a separate but equally impactful moment, ABF was featured on Arizona PBS’s Arizona Horizon, where we highlighted a generous grant from Mercy Care and its transformative impact on our Thrive programs. These include:

  • Camp Courage & Leaders-in-Training (LIT): A four-year leadership journey for teen burn survivors.
  • MacDonald Wood Scholarships: Supporting survivors in higher education and career training.
  • Family & Peer Support Gatherings: Creating lifelong connections through shared experiences.

Both media moments reflect ABF’s dual mission: preventing future tragedies and uplifting those who’ve already faced them.

This Fire Prevention Month we invite you to take action: test your smoke alarms, talk to your kids about fire safety, and join us for a community smoke alarm walk.

All of this has been possible because of our community, our partners and all of you – you always show up, and we can’t thank you enough. As always, #StayReadyAZ!

With gratitude,

Rex Albright

ABF CEO

Click the image below to watch the segment and see how ABF is expanding its reach across Arizona.