Help prevent home fires this Thanksgiving

Did you know that Thanksgiving and the day before are the top two days for the chance of a cooking fire to happen in someone's home in the U.S.? 

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, home fire injuries and the second-leading cause of home fire deaths. If you're helping to prep this year's Thanksgiving feast, help make sure you and your loved ones stay safe with these safety tips from the American Red Cross of Western New York.

COOKING SAFETY TIPS:

·       Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.

·       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.

 

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

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. Visit redcross.org/homefiresafetywny or contact your local Red Cross for more information. 

Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, working with community installation partners, has saved 53 lives in the Western New York region and at least 1,928 lives across the country by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas across the country. 

Turning compassion into action to help fellow Sickle Cell Warriors

Passion, Passion, Passion!

Jason Moore exudes passion as he talks about Sickle Cell Warriors of Buffalo.

The vice president of the non-profit explains that “Sickle Cell Disease is the most commonly inherited disease in the world.”

Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body; in Sickle Cell Disease, the red blood cells are mutated into a crescent or sickle-shaped form, and therefore cannot carry enough oxygen to the tissues and organs of the body – potentially leading to anemia, and tissue and organ damage. This often requires regular blood transfusions to manage extreme pain and life-threatening complications.

Jason explained that having Sickle Cell disease is a lonely life. Each patient presents with different symptoms, requiring treatment to be adjusted accordingly. Jason is happy to have wonderful providers in Buffalo to manage his care.

Jason and and his colleague, Sickle Cell Warriors of Buffalo president Juanita McClain experienced their journey side-by-side while undergoing treatments at Children’s Hospital, and at specialized camps for children living with Sickle Cell. Their care when they were younger was overseen by social workers. When they “aged out” around 21 years of age, there was no one to guide their care. They came to realize how helpful their social workers were and how much they did for them. Thus, the idea for Sickle Cell Warriors of Buffalo was born.

Sickle Cell Warriors of Buffalo programs include Education to the Community, Transitions – a program to assist teens and parents in moving into adult medical care, Care Coordination – assisting adults in finding qualified practitioners, and Support Groups for Warriors and their families.

On Jason’s good days, he states that he accomplishes so much. He’s a Community Health Worker assisting others along their journey, while guiding the Transitions participants. But on other days, he is in pain and exhausted. However, he appreciates what goodness will come about and knows there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Optimistic and passionate!

This Sickle Cell Awareness Month and year-round, you can help support Jason’s work and Sickle Cell patients just like him in your community, by making an appointment to roll up a sleeve and donate lifesaving blood. Visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-REDCROSS or download the free RedCross Blood Donor app to make an appointment nearest you.

 Written by: Ginny Scott, American Red Cross of WNY Communications Volunteer

"Much more than living with Sickle Cell": How a Buffalo teacher's healing journey is helping to heal others

Juanita McClain is many things: a mother, educator, friend, author and a warrior – in every sense of the word.

“I was diagnosed early on. At just a few months old I had my first crisis,” she explained. “I spent a lot of time in the hospital growing up. I went through a lot of the complications. Until my late 20’s, I struggled really bad.”

Sickle Cell disease is the most common genetic blood disorder in the United States, impacting an estimated 100,000 people – most of whom are of African descent. It distorts soft and round red blood cells and turns them hard and crescent-shaped. As a result, blood has difficulty flowing smoothly and carrying oxygen to the rest of the body, which can lead to severe pain, tissue and organ damage, anemia and even strokes. Patients may require as many as 100 units of blood per year to manage extreme pain and life-threatening complications.

McClain estimates that until her early 20’s she was in the hospital receiving treatment for Sickle Cell disease at least once or twice a month, every month. In that time, she received multiple blood transfusions, had surgery to remove her gallbladder and suffered the devastating loss of her son during childbirth in the midst of a difficult Sickle Cell crisis. Despite all that, McClain is quick to point out that her diagnosis does not define her.

Instead, it’s all she’s been able to selflessly accomplish in the face of it.

“I was in college, and I was sick and missing school all the time. I started researching more about Sickle Cell and journaling about how I’d like to change my life,” she explains. “And I said I want to share my story with the world, so I wrote Living with and Surviving Sickle Cell Disease. I feel like it’s an autobiography of my life. After the book came out, I felt a relief over my life and things started to look brighter, so I kept going with it.”

McClain is now the proud author of three books on Sickle Cell disease, including a children’s book titled The Monster Within Me: Surviving Sickle Cell Disease; an educational story that serves as both a way for children to learn about Sickle Cell and to inspire them to achieve their dreams.

It was during this time that McClain, armed with the knowledge of the disease and her own triggers, began her advocacy work in the community. In that time, McClain has worked tirelessly to educate the community and her students at Burgard High School in Buffalo on the impact of Sickle Cell and blood donation; and helped to organize blood drives with the Red Cross ofWestern New York where she also serves on the Red Cross Biomed Committee. In 2018, McClain also launched a Sickle Cell warriors support group which has since grown into the non-profit Sickle Cell Warriors of Buffalo.

“It opens up doors for Sickle Cell warriors who have to get those frequent blood transfusions to be able to get the blood type they need, of their own blood type or race,” she explained. “My background and experience with the disease, I used those to help me grow as a person and to help me get healthier and live with the disease. And when that sparked, it made me want to do more to help others do a turn around in life and look at the disease in a different manner and want to be more than just living with Sickle Cell disease. And here we are today, and we’re doing so much!”

This fall, McClain’s students will help her to organize two blood drives with the Red Cross of Western New York as she also plans a number of community events with Sickle Cell Warriors of Buffalo, including a walk for Sickle Cell awareness, now in its fifth year, and a holiday event to help support local families impacted by Sickle Cell.

As for the mother of three and her own battle, she has this to say of her journey: “I feel the best that I’ve ever felt in my life these days. Things have improved drastically.”

Lives Saved: Binghamton family escapes home fire days after Red Cross smoke alarm install

“If they hadn’t come, I couldn’t even imagine.”

For months, Cassandra Simmons had been prompted to install smoke alarms in the Binghamton home she shares with her husband, daughter and three grandchildren after a recent construction project.

“I had a hard time getting them where they needed to go and then I would see something else in the mail for the American Red Cross and so I thought let me give them a call.”

This past February a team of Red Cross volunteers as part of the Sound the Alarm Home Fire campaign visited Simmons’ home to install free smoke alarms throughout her home and provide lifesaving home fire safety education, including a two-minute escape plan in the event of a home fire.

“It brings me to tears every time. It was Thursday and then that Sunday, if we didn’t have the Red Cross come in here, I don’t think myself and my grandson would be here.”

That Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday. While her 8-year-old grandson was getting ready for a Super Bowl celebration, a fire broke out in the upstairs bathroom at the top of the stairs and adjacent to the children’s bedrooms.

“We’d already had a smoke alarm in the hallway, so when the man from the Red Cross put them up, he asked if we’d like one upstairs. When I asked ‘what would you do’ he said yes, because by the time the smoke reaches the alarm we already had, it might be too late to get out of the house,” Simmons explained.

Recounting that day, Simmons isn’t sure what made her ask the question of the Red Cross volunteer, but she is thankful she did.

“He was so right. If he hadn’t put that there, I wouldn’t have heard the smoke alarm until it was too late. There would have been no room for me to get down the stairs because the fire started along the back of the bathroom door. By the time that smoke would have reached downstairs, the upstairs would have been engulfed in flames.”

Simmons, her husband, grandson and 9-year-old granddaughter, who had been upstairs in her bedroom at the time of the fire, managed to safely escape the home and call 911. 

“I was scared, I was crying, I was cold,” Simmons explained. “We were standing outside and the Red Cross came and they were so nice. The gentleman from the Red Cross put a blanket around me. They gave us enough blankets for all of us, a care package with everything you can think of that you may need. They were just very kind. And they stayed in touch with us by calling us to make sure that we were OK and reaching out to the agencies that would be able to help us.”

Now four and a half months later, Simmons and her family are finally able to move back into the home they shared with a renewed appreciation for the little things, a greater desire to pay it forward and plans to help those in need, and some invaluable advice for all those Simmons encounters from here on out.

“Once it happens there’s no going back it’s too late,” Simmons said. “Everybody I know from now on will hear from me, ‘do you have a smoke alarm?’ Because if not, call this number. All it takes is a phone call.”

Since 2014, the Sound the Alarm Home Fire Safety campaign has helped to save lives and make homes safer locally and across the country. You can schedule your home fire safety visit, which includes the installation of free smoke alarms and home fire safety education including a two-minute escape plan year-round by clicking here.

Cortland Blood Donor Receives Pleasant Surprise as Peanuts™ Contest Winner

When Natalie Travis made plans to donate blood on April 28 at the Cortland (NY) Community blood drive, little did she know the surprise that was eventually in store. 

To be sure, the McGraw, NY resident likely knew of the Peanuts/Snoopy ™ t-shirt incentive for those who showed up to donate, and which had gone viral, but she was not aware of an even bigger incentive that was there as well. 

As part of a national promotion, and thanks to the generosity of Peanuts Worldwide – one of the many partners who offer incentives to support Red Cross blood donations – Natalie emerged as the winner of  the Red Cross’  2023 Sonoma County Trip Giveaway. All who came to give blood in April were automatically entered for a chance to win a three-night trip for two to Sonoma County, California. The Getaway includes flights, hotel, $1,000 gift card and special tours of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Snoopy’s Home Ice, courtesy of Peanuts Worldwide. Natalie and her family departed for their trip on July 5.

Any national contest means that the odds of winning are long, so it is somewhat fitting that Natalie won since her blood type is also rare.  In fact, the desire to know her blood type is what drove her to be a blood donor as a young adult.

"I started giving blood when I was 17,” she said. “I always wanted to know my blood type and I knew if I gave blood I would find out.  I found out that I was type AB-, which is really rare.”

When she found out she had a blood type that was in high demand, Natalie made it a point to be a regular donor.

“I tried to do it a couple of times a year until I had my son.  He’s five now, so it had been that many years until I donated again.”

That April donation in Cortland was the first since her son was born, and it turned out to be a mutually beneficial return….especially when she found out she won the Sonoma trip.

“At first I was really shocked because I was only going to give blood (not knowing about the promotion). Then I started having regular communication with Adam (Adam Turner, a Red Cross staffer) and thought it was really cool.  I told my son, and he was really excited because he has never flown before, and he likes anything with motors.”

So, what would Natalie say to anyone who has not considered donating blood, or might be nervous about the prospect of doing so?

“Any experience that I’ve had, I find the people collecting blood to be really good at what they do. It doesn’t take very long and your blood could help a lot of people.”

 

Sickle Cell Warrior Uses Voice To Advocate For Fellow Patients

Sickle Cell Warrior Uses Voice To Advocate For Fellow Patients

“I use the word warrior a lot when I talk about people who battle with sickle cell disease and their families because a lot of times it is a battle.”

It’s a battle 33-year-old Stephanie Ramos knows all too well. It’s one she’s been fighting since birth.

“I was born with Sickle Cell disease. I have a twin brother who has the Sickle Cell trait.”

From roughly six months of age that meant episodes or “crises” as Ramos describes it, each time requiring lifesaving blood transfusions to alleviate what she recalls as tortuous pain.

“If you asked any Sickle Cell warrior, they would tell you it feels like being stabbed. It feels like being hit with a bat. Every second, every minute, every hour that it’s not being treated or taken care of.”

Sickle Cell disease is the most common genetic blood disorder in the United States, impacting an estimated 100,000 people, most of whom are of African descent. The disease distorts soft and round red blood cells and turns them crescent shaped. As a result, blood has difficulty flowing smoothly and carrying oxygen to the rest of the body, which can lead to severe pain, tissue and organ damage, anemia and even stroke.

“It causes a decaying effect in that particular part of the body,” Ramos explains. “It’s not getting the proper oxygen it needs so it starts to die and that’s what we call an episode. It’s pain and a lot of times it causes hospitalization and then most importantly, that leads to a blood transfusion.”

Ramos estimates that she received at least two blood transfusions per year from birth to age 25. In some cases, patients may require as many as 100 units of blood per patient per year to combat the painful effects.

“I always had to take a pack or two of blood. It’s a scary thing. Receiving life from someone I don’t even know. When you donate, you’re donating to someone like me who is in need and it’s needed more than ever.”

Like so many battling Sickle Cell disease, Ramos knows that frequent blood transfusions can make

finding compatible blood types much more difficult and that most often, donations from Black and Brown donors are the most compatible blood types for treatment.

Because of that, Ramos says she was forced to find her advocacy voice – for herself and now others, at a very young age.

“They pump new blood into us. Literally,” she explains. “So, when I tell people about donating blood, I tell them you are literally giving life again to someone whose life is fading away. When I speak to individuals from my background, from my Black and Brown communities, I say we scream that all lives matter – well, this is the start. If my life matters and yours does as well this is the start to show how much we matter to each other, by donating.”

In remission since a bone marrow transplant eight years ago, Ramos is now using her voice to help her fellow warriors through Sickle Cell Advocates of Rochester, or S.C.A.R. The group works to support patients and families affected by Sickle Cell in the Rochester area, hosting educational and social events, fundraising and much more.

“I use my voice because it’s all I’ve ever had. This is part of our toolbox. I’m lucky to be a person who walks in faith and since I can’t donate, let me be a person who can use my words to help bring others to donate and serve as an advocate.”

Part of Ramos’ own toolbox is hosting blood drives through S.C.A.R. and regularly encouraging others in the community to donate. While she recognizes a fear associated with donating, she has this to say on behalf of her fellow warriors.

“We have to watch out for our communities, because if we’re not looking out for ourselves, who is? If fear is the reason you don’t want to donate, then volunteer. Help us out and maybe you’ll learn it’s not a scary thing. And know that for two seconds of being scared, you just gave someone another two seconds of life back.”

One in three African American blood donors are a match for people with Sickle Cell disease. To help ensure patients have the lifesaving blood products they need, the American Red Cross of Western New York works with partners like S.C.A.R. to grow the number of compatible donors. You can help Sickle Cell warriors in the community by making an appointment to donate by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-REDCROSS or downloading the FREE Blood Donor App on your smartphone.

A second chance at life inspires a full circle moment for Red Cross CPR instructor

This past March, American Red Cross of Western New York intern Sado Isak found herself before an auditorium full of local students.

“I think what we as individuals fear the most ends up being what we’re the most good at.”

A Brockport public health graduate with a fear of public speaking, the 24-year-old intern was leading one of the several Hands-Only CPR courses she would teach that week, each with a mindset that Isak is proud to share with those she encounters.

“Thank God for the good and the bad, because those situations are bound to teach you something. They either make you or break you.”

In her nearly two and a half decades, Isak has learned quite a bit. A native of Uganda, Isak moved to the Rochester area with her family as a 7-year-old after living in a refugee camp and fondly recalled her first interaction with snow.

“I thought it was left over from a party or something, I couldn’t understand why it was all over the place. It was cold!”

But fast forward to March 2020 and Isak will tell you it was her life-threatening experience with COVID-19 at the onset of a global pandemic that helped to fortify her way of thinking.

As she worked to complete her final semester at Monroe Community College, Isak struggled for weeks with an illness whose progression was still relatively unknown to healthcare professionals and the world. After four weeks of battling what she thought was a terrible cold at home surrounded by family, she said her body simply gave out.

“I have never experienced that much pain, that much sickness.”

Paramedics were called to her home and provided lifesaving compressions, resuscitating Isak before taking her to a local hospital for treatment where she quickly recovered.

“I feel like that left a huge mark on me,” Isak explained. “It was very scary. I’ve never experienced anything like that, and I never thought I would be getting CPR done to me. I see this as a great sign that I was destined to do something. I was destined to do something better.”

Since then, Isak has taken full advantage of her second chance – turning it into a full circle moment

pursuing a degree in Public Health and starting an internship with the American Red Cross, not long after another second chance moment seen around the world shone a spotlight on the importance of CPR and preparedness training.

“I’ve been doing a lot of youth leadership programs like Prepare with Pedro, and a lot of Hands-Only CPR trainings,” she explained. “I didn’t really think of the trauma of what I went through, I just thought we need to teach people how to properly treat someone who needs it.”

Since January, the American Red Cross has experienced a notable increase in inquiries about CPR and AED training, and in course enrollments – as well as how to obtain an AED. And while the industry continues to see a growing interest in preparedness training such as CPR/AED training, Isak who graduated from Brockport last month, hopes her experience inspires others to follow suit.

“I’m a huge believer in that everything happens for a reason,” she explained. “If it were you, wouldn’t you want someone to do the same for you?”

Rochester Red Crosser's volunteer career spans 50 years, multiple continents

Born in Madrid, Spain, Maria Polo and her family moved to Colombia when she was around 9. She considers herself to be of Colombian culture and, before moving to America and becoming an American citizen, she called Colombia her home country.  Her father founded the Universidad Autonoma de Colombia in the Capital city of Bogota.  The university is still there and growing today.  This is where Maria started her service with the Red Cross that just recently reached the 50-year mark.  

As a young woman in her twenties, and a member of an educated upper-class family, she saw poverty and mistreatment around her and vowed to help wherever she could.  Raised in a family that believed the secret to one’s own inner peace was found by helping others and never asking for anything in return, Maria truly grasped this belief at a very young age.  She and her young daughter started volunteering at a nursing home in Bogota, Colombia.  Upon realizing the poor conditions and lack of resources at the facility, she was compelled to volunteer every Sunday to help the residents by providing music therapy, massage therapy and helping in any way she could.  She continued this volunteer effort for the Red Cross in her native country for five years, thus beginning her many years of service with the Red Cross that has spanned multiple continents. 

Maria moved on to serve for the International Red Cross and ended up serving on missions in 57 countries around the world.   The list includes, Ecuador, The Amazon rain forest, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Shanghai, Hong Kong, South Korea, Jeju Island, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, India, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, most countries in Europe and so many more!   Tsunamis, floods, civil unrest, medical missions and earthquakes are just a few of the types of deployments Ms. Polo has done over the years.  Whether its riding a motor bike an unknown amount of miles into the country to obtain rice to help feed a village of starving people, diving in dangerously swift water to help drowning victims, traveling two weeks on foot into the Amazon forest on a medical mission or getting a crash courses in suturing up patients during volunteer surgical missions in Central & South America’s, it’s clear that Maria has had quite an interesting and lively international volunteer career experience.  

She talks about how the missions aren’t easy and how when on them you don’t get special treatment - nor did she expect it,

“You just never know what to expect during these deployments, we just show up and help with

whatever is available at the time.  If they do not eat, we do not eat, if they sleep on the ground, we sleep on the ground.”  Her belief in helping others is so strong she hates to use the word sacrifice to describe giving up her time and vacations over the years to go on these missions. 

“If I say it’s a sacrifice then it means I do it to get something in return, and that’s not it, not the reason, it comes from inside, we need more people to get that!”

In between all the excitement of her international missions she has also volunteered in her own backyard over the years.   Not only has she been a volunteer for local crisis situations such as fires in the greater Rochester area, and other local Red Cross work, but she also volunteered for the Hispanic and Black Youth Leadership Programs in the Rochester area for almost 27 years.  She started volunteering for these organizations in 1994 working with the program director. The program had a mentoring element and covered topics such as diversity, equity & inclusion, financial literacy, conflict management, time management, resume building, leadership skills & development. To this day she has stories of people coming up to her and remembering her by name, thanking her for the guidance and knowledge they learned in these youth programs. She finds these to be very rewarding experiences, knowing that she played a small part in helping these individuals grow and develop into successful members of the very same community.

“Educating the people is what we need to do to make it better, knowledge isn’t always learned in the school.” This is one of the most important secrets to a better future, according to Polo.   

During this wild ride of a life she moved to Toronto, NYC, Boca Raton, North Carolina and finally settled in Rochester.   Maria had previously obtained her bachelor’s degree in computer science and spent several years working in the accounting field for the Caja Agraria Bank in Bogota, Colombia.  After moving to Rochester, she went to SUNY Brockport and earned her Bachelor’s in education and was an assistant Spanish teacher in the Rochester area. Maria has also obtained her certification in medical massage therapy.  She has overcome some major tragedies in her life in recent years as well, which just goes to prove how strong this woman truly is.  In 2017 she was in a terrible car accident and was struck by an on-coming car.  Suffering from a traumatic brain injury, among many other injuries, she was in a coma for over a month, and upon waking was unable to talk or walk.  She was told that her chances of walking and talking again were almost non-existent.  But shockingly enough, with the help of her family, and some friends made through her missions, she has beat those odds!  Not long after, in December 2021, tragedy struck again.  She had a house fire and lost everything.  Coming home from work early one day, she found her home filled with smoke.  Knowing her dogs were inside, Maria selflessly entered the home to save the animals, getting all three out to safety.  Unfortunately, most of her prized possessions from her many trips were lost in the fire.  Pictures, logs, keepsakes, etc. were gone.  This has made it difficult for her to keep track of her experiences and her past missions.  Fortunately, her son and daughter help her keep her memories alive.  She has told her children about her missions over the years “so many times that they roll their eyes when I start to talk about them!”. 

Today Maria can be found spending her time at one of the Rochester area blood donor centers volunteering as a Donor Ambassador.  She is also going back to school at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Osher Lifelong Learning Center to continue her education.  She is currently studying Medical Ethics, Topics in Modern Cognitive Science, Climate Change & Global Warming, and also has an interest in natural and alternative medicine, preventive medicine and mysteries of the mind.  You can usually find her at different parks in the area with her dogs enjoying the outdoors, and at the YMCA most mornings taking part in various exercise classes, and staying healthy and in shape, (she used to run marathons!)  

Over the years, Maria has had so many wonderful learning experiences and met so many people, the extreme gratitude for the life of service that she has lived is clearly evident when she recalls her Red Cross work.  The hundreds, if not thousands, of people with whom she has interacted are grateful for the energy, knowledge and compassion she has shared as well.

Jodi Zielinski, Communications Volunteer, American Red Cross of Western New York

Springing ahead? Don't forget to "Turn and Test"

Daylight saving time begins this Sunday, March 12, and the American Red Cross of Western New York encourages everyone to TURN your clocks forward one hour, and TEST your smoke alarms.

Did you know that having working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half? Home fires are the nation’s most frequent disaster with Red Cross volunteers responding to an emergency every 8 minutes, on average. In the month of February alone, Red Cross of WNY Disaster Action Team (DAT) members provided immediate emergency assistance in the aftermath of home fires to 269 individuals across our region.

That’s why it’s critical to “Turn and Test” this weekend and take these lifesaving steps to keep your loved ones safe in the event of a home fire. 

·         Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and replace the batteries at least once a year if your model requires it.

·         Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. That’s because the sensor becomes less sensitive over time. Check the date of your smoke alarms and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

·         Practice your two-minute escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to get out of a burning home before it’s too late. Include at least two ways to get out from every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows where to meet.

·         Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like. Talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.

Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to practice with your family. You can also download our free Emergency app by searching for “American Red Cross” in app stores. 

HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN SAVING LIVES The Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters every year and most of them are home fires. To help prevent fire-related deaths and injuries, the Red Cross launched the Home Fire Campaign with community partners in 2014 to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries.

Recently, with support from thousands of community partners, the campaign met its goal of installing 2.5 million free smoke alarms and making 1 million households safer across the country. So far, the Home Fire Campaign is credited with saving more than 1,583 lives in the U.S. Because home fires remain a daily threat and the campaign has made a lifesaving difference, the Red Cross will be continuing the program with community partners as part of its standard services across the country.

 

Volunteers Ensure Blood Supplies Keep Flowing Despite Historic Storm

(Above, from left to right: Volunteer Transportation Specialists Dean Stanley, Vic Pascell and Tony Addotta arrive for their shifts in Buffalo at the conclusion of the storm.)

In late December, the greater Buffalo region was devastated by a blizzard of historic proportion.  Freezing temperatures, large accumulations of snow, and gale-force winds made for dangerous and unpassable roads, essentially bringing travel to a stop, even for first responders. After earlier warnings that week of a “once in a generation” storm about to hit the area, it arrived on Friday, December 23, as the region prepared for a holiday weekend. By early afternoon, high winds and heavy snowfall created near white-out conditions.

 While travel may have stopped, the need for blood to treat trauma victims and other patients at area hospitals did not and, as an organization that provides blood to every hospital in our region, the Red Cross is an important cog in the cycle of blood collection and distribution. So, when weather forecasts started to paint a picture of the intensity of the oncoming storm and the challenges the region would face, several Red Cross volunteer transportation specialists took it upon themselves to find ways to ensure that the flow of life-saving blood products would continue to reach those in need.

 As an organization that prides itself on emergency preparedness, the Red Cross was fortunate to have dedicated volunteer transportation specialists like Tony Addotta, Marc Smith, Benjamin “Frank” Murphy, Victor Pascell, John Gnann, Rich VanDerMeid, David Andolora and Dean Stanley on hand to plan and manage alternate methods of making on time deliveries to the hospitals they served.

 Anthony (Tony) Addotta, a Buffalo-based volunteer driver, exemplified the mission-driven focus of the American Red Cross. As the blizzard was getting ready to hit Erie County, Tony stated he still wanted to deliver to hospitals, which would surely need blood ahead of the storm. He arrived at the Union Road Blood Donation Center in Cheektowaga early on December 23 to make the drive to Rochester to pick up and transport processed blood products to Buffalo as early as possible. Tony worked in collaboration with other drivers to split up the hospital deliveries that day, with each focusing on a specific section of Erie County to save time and get safely back home before the storm became too severe. Tony’s list included many of the hospitals in the City of Buffalo.

After the storm, when travel bans remained in place and many roads were impassable, Tony came in on December 28 and 29 and helped create routes for multiple volunteer drivers so that blood could be delivered safely via alternate, creative routes/roads that were deemed safe. He delivered to hospitals in contained sections in the City of Buffalo on those days and made an immense difference delivering life-saving blood products to hospitals during a stressful time, always with a smile for our customers!

 Marc Smith, in his third year of serving as a Red Cross volunteer, was also instrumental in getting blood to hospitals before the storm hit. Marc came in on December 23 as the snow and wind were starting to intensify. To get drivers off the road as early as possible, one route up was split up among three different drivers.  Marc took his own vehicle to deliver blood to Bertrand Chaffee hospital in Springville. His timely and creative action likely prevented the originally scheduled driver from being stranded in the blinding snowstorm that quickly settled in over Erie County. He was also instrumental in getting blood to a rural hospital that ended up being blocked off by snow drifts, stranded vehicles, and road closures for several days.

 Benjamin “Frank” Murphy is another Buffalo-area volunteer who was instrumental in helping to deliver blood ahead of the storm’s catastrophic impact. Frank came in early ahead of the storm to collaborate with other volunteers and help split up the normal hospital delivery route. The team’s goal that morning was to get drivers off the road as early as possible in light of the oncoming, severe storm, while still ensuring hospitals received the life-saving blood product that they needed. Frank used his own vehicle to bring blood to a hospital that was not on the usual delivery list, but which needed blood products that morning. The hospital was located some distance from the rest of the facilities on the list and, in the previously scheduled route, would have taken the normal driver too long to safely get to ahead of the storm.

 As the storm finally receded by December 28, Vic Pascell was the first Buffalo volunteer back on the road to transport blood. At this point, numerous roads near hospitals and the roads that were normally used for transport were still closed. Vic left early on the first day the New York State Thruway reopened to drive to Rochester, where all blood donations are processed, and pick up blood to bring back to Cheektowaga. He communicated the exact hospital orders and box numbers to facilitate collaboration with other volunteers. Due to remaining road closures and travel restrictions, hospital deliveries were again split between three drivers. Vic traveled in areas in Northern Buffalo and nearby suburbs to deliver blood to hospitals, navigating through streets in which plows were still struggling to clean-up snow and abandoned vehicles.

 Buffalo volunteer Dean Stanley was eager to come in and help transport blood as soon as access was available to the Union Road Blood Donation Center. When word came that the Blood Donation Center could open on Wednesday, December 28, nearly a week after the storm hit, communication went out to the transportation team asking for volunteers to come in and help transport blood. The e-mail went out just before 5:00 a.m and Dean was at the Union Road location in Cheektowaga by 8:30.  After arriving, he helped divide the usual route so that volunteers could focus on small areas of Erie County that were accessible while numerous roads still had to be plowed and cleared of abandoned vehicles. Dean’s route included going to Bertrand Chaffee in Springville, which for several days could not get blood while all major roads into the area were closed.

Just one day later, December 29, John Gnann reported for his usual Thursday morning hospital deliveries. Despite the fact that there remained many unknowns in terms of road conditions and closures, John was determined to make sure hospitals received the necessary blood products. John worked with his colleagues to split normal hospital route deliveries between two volunteers. After driving from Buffalo to West Henrietta to pick-up blood, he sent a message with the official number of boxes for each hospital so that final plans could be made for delivery.

 While Rochester was spared the brunt of Winter Storm Elliott, Rochester-based drivers pitched in to help their colleagues in Buffalo.  While Erie County remained completely closed off, Rich VanDerMeid, a Red Cross volunteer of 13 years, was instrumental in getting blood to Buffalo hospitals. On Christmas Day, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) notified the Red Cross that traveling to Buffalo-area hospitals remained unsafe. To compensate for those limitations, the transportation team planned to have an ECSO Deputy meet up with a Rochester driver in Batavia. That evening, Transportation Supervisor Rachel Elzufon Couch texted Rich and, despite it being Christmas, Rich called within minutes and the two discussed a new plan to help Buffalo get blood. During his usual West Henrietta – West run, he volunteered to take blood for Buffalo hospitals to give to the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, meeting up at United Memorial Medical Center, in Batavia. Rich did this without being able to use his typical route to Batavia, as the Thruway was still closed from Rochester to the Pennsylvania line.

While Erie County remained completely closed off, David Andolora, of Rochester, was instrumental in getting blood to Buffalo hospitals. While a travel ban remained in place in Erie County, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office told us that those hospitals remained difficult to access due to numerous streets still unplowed and filled with abandoned vehicles. David came in an extra day to make sure that Buffalo hospitals received blood, using alternate routes because of the Thruway closure to bring product destined for multiple Buffalo hospitals to Batavia, where he handed it off to a sheriff’s deputy from Erie County. That deputy then delivered blood to hospitals in Buffalo. David communicated effectively about which hospitals he had so that the sheriff’s deputy fully understood which hospitals he needed to deliver to.

 To a person, each of the volunteer drivers expressed a sense of duty to make sure blood was available to hospitals and the patients that depended on it, deflecting any praise of their efforts.

 “I received a call from Rachel asking if I was available and willing to help with the morning hospital deliveries,” Smith said. “I knew it was going to be difficult driving with the storm coming in, but I was confident I could be of help. The importance of making sure hospitals have the blood supply they need is motivation…especially during adverse weather conditions.”

Vic Pascell concurred, saying, “I felt it was a small part that I could contribute. I know the blood deliveries were important during that time and I had the time and resources to help.”

 For John Gnann, the potential consequences if there was a disruption to the blood supply were unacceptable.  “I was the one who was needed to make sure the blood was delivered,” he said, referring to the hospitals to which he delivered. “It was my job and people in my city were depending on me. This was literally a life and death situation due to the serious disruption to the supply chain in Buffalo because of the storm.”

 Gnann was also quick to credit Transportation Supervisor Rachel Elzufon Couch for her dedication and strong leadership in organizing delivery efforts during trying times. “She (Rachel) was the quarterback, we were the running backs.”

 Rich VenDerMeid also cited Elzufon Couch’s leadership.  “I knew that Rachel might have difficulty finding someone else,” he said, noting that his family holiday plans were scheduled for another day, allowing him to step forward.   

A variety of closely linked themes were also expressed in describing some of the challenges the historic storm and related conditions presented.

 While Smith joked that driving his own 4X4 pickup truck did not help much with visibility, he said that it was helpful in getting through drifts and snow that was quickly accumulating on roads. “The biggest challenge…the complete white outs, snow drifts across the roads and through intersections, and navigating a route to avoid the high elevations of the 219 expressway,” he recalled.” I volunteered to do the delivery to Springville because having lived in the Southtowns snowbelt my whole life, I felt comfortable enough that I could complete the delivery.”

 For Pascell, Buffalo’s storm response presented some obstacles. “The biggest challenge was finding ways around some of the large pieces of snow removal equipment still operating to clear some of the higher traveled streets in the city,” he said.

 Gnann highlighted yet another issue. “The biggest challenge I faced was making sure that the roads I normally take to get to the hospitals were open. I had to make a couple of detours, but it all worked out.”

 It was Smith who captured the can-do attitude of Red Cross volunteers, in this particular emergency, and in the various disasters to which they respond in the Western New York Region:

“I didn’t feel like it was above and beyond, said Smith. “If they need me, I’ll do what I can to help.”