Our birthday's coming!

It’s our birthday tomorrow!! Do you know how the American Red Cross will be?

a.       210 years old

b.      182 years old

c.       100 years old

d.      130 years old

And the answer is… D, 130 years old!

We’ve been pretty busy throughout those years, but it all started when Clara Barton and a circle of acquaintances founded the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881. She had heard of the Swiss-inspired International Red Cross Movement while visiting Europe following the Civil War and when she returned home, she campaigned for an American Red Cross society and for ratification of the Geneva Convention protecting the war-injured, which the United States ratified in 1882.

To learn more about everything that we’ve accomplished over the past 130 years… click here!

To help us celebrate, you can donate a present to our BASH auction!  All proceeds stay right here in WNY, so your donation will help us continue to do our good work for another 130 years.

If interested, you can call Emily here at the Chapter at 878.2374 or e-mail her at shafere@usa.redcross.org. 

To learn more about the BASH, visit our BASH website or check us out on Facebook!

MacGyver like first-aid

Photo courtesy of the article
"Could an empty crisp packet save your life?"
by Kate Hilpern of  express.co.uk

Germs!!! No one wants them, and although you might be faced with a life threatening situation where a stranger needs mouth to mouth, you may stop yourself with the worry of contracting goodness knows what. Which is why when you take a CPR course, instructors often advise you to carry  a breathing barrier with you to avoid skin to skin contact.

On top of this type of item, you’re also advised to have a whole array of items in your medicine cabinet arsenal, which quite frankly, few of us have! Luckily, we’ve found this nifty article published by EXPRESS in the United Kingdom which suggests some interestingly MacGyver like everyday household items that can create loopholes to purchasing a number of the expensive first-aid tools that people rarely use. 

For example

Insect stings generally just cause pain and irritation for most of us, however, others can have life threatening reactions which can cause anaphylactic shock.  Regardless, a top priority for any sting is making sure that the stinger is removed.

So, here is a little trivia question for you…

What is the best way to remove a stinger?

A.      Tweezers

B.      A needle

C.      Credit card

You should never squeeze or use tweezers to remove a stinger because there is generally a sack of poison at the end of it which you could squeeze, causing the wound to be even worse.  This is why C, a credit card, can come in handy… it can also come in handy when buying a new camo outfit for the upcoming BASH! 

You should use a credit card to scrape the stinger cleanly off the skin, taking care to not break the stinger under your skin. 

If the person stung has a known allergy, ask them if they have any type of EpiPen, call their doctor or 9-1-1 and follow the instructions given by the medical professional.

For everyone else, not much will help the pain of a sting besides time, and a compress of ice wrapped in a towel. 

For more MacGyver like first-aid tools, read the full story!!

We always suggest you have a first-aid kit and basic first aid items in your household instead of relying on MacGyver like tools, so click  here to visit our store to get yours and check out some of the other cool Red Cross paraphernalia we have there as well! 

A man's dream!

Shovels, hatches, hammers, saws, can openers and nail pullers… music to most men’s ears! And during a disaster, you might wish you let your significant other splurge on the wild array of equipment they're always harping about, because as you now think about it, those very tools could get you out of your current pickle! But have no fear! With this handy all in one tool you may be able to stave him off from those expensive purchases for a little bit longer!!

The LifeSecure 6-in-1 Survival Shovel is the perfect all in one emergency tool that could easily be stored with your other emergency preparedness items in your car and in your home.  Whether a tree falls in your home and you have to saw off a limb, your car gets stuck in a snow pile and you have to dig yourself out, or your just hungry and that can of corn you bought doesn’t have a handy pull tab lid, this item is perfect for you!

Plus, the fact that it only costs about $20.00 means that you’ll be saving between $40.00 and $150.00!

To learn more about making an emergency kit, check out our interactive kit making program online, or contact us here at the chapter, Denise at 878-2231 / herkeyjaroschd@usa.redcross.org or Louise at 878-2230 / porterl@usa.redcross.org, to set up a Be Red Cross Ready presentation that will touch upon what you need to know and do to be prepared for an emergency.

For emergency preparedness tools, visit us online.

Graduating to good

For most college students, graduation is a time of celebration and job hunting. But for Elly Fisher, her graduation party from the UB School of Social Work will consist of travelling to volunteer with the American Red Cross for a two-week deployment to Louisiana to aid in relief efforts.

The Buffalo Chapter has gotten to know Elly over the past academic year as she interned with us in our Emergency Services department.  On top of her internship,  she was a member of the Disaster Action Team.  She responded to fires across Western New York and even helped with the sheltering efforts following the closure of the NYS Thruway in December.

Going along with Elly is longtime American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health volunteer Tara Hughes.  Over her 10 years working with the Red Cross, Tara has helped provide counseling and comfort to countless people following disasters down the street, across the country, and around the world and she is on track to become the first Disaster Mental Health Chief in New York State. 

Elly and Tara will join 12 other staff and volunteers from the Greater Buffalo Chapter who have been deployed to help in the American Red Cross relief efforts since severe weather began hitting the nation on March 31st.  To date, the American Red Cross has opened more than 180 shelters in the 18 states affected by wildfires, flooding, and tornadoes, serving over a million meals and has provided more than 30,000 health and medical consultations.

Individuals wishing to support the American Red Cross relief efforts in the south can:

•             Text the word “REDCROSS” to 90999 to send a $10 donation.  The charge will appear on your next cell phone bill

•             Call 1-800-REDCROSS

•             Visit www.redcross.org

 For more information on how you can volunteer with our Disaster Action Team, please click here.