Resolve to Prepare!

The New Year is coming and many are making their New Year's resolutions. We're asking everyone to add getting prepared for emergencies to their list for 2017.

Families need to plan as to what they should do if a disaster occurs. People can make a difference in your community by knowing what to do when disaster strikes. It’s just a few short steps away:

1. Get a kit. If you’ve ever fumbled to find a flashlight during a blackout, you know what it feels like to be unprepared. Use a downloadable checklist  available on redcross.org to make it easy to get your emergency preparedness kit ready. You should include:

• Three-day supply of non-perishable food and water—one gallon per person, per day for drinking and hygiene purposes
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit, medications and medical items
• Copies of all important documents (proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Extra cash
• Choose a contact person from out of the area and make sure all household members have this person’s phone number and email address. It may be easier to call long distance or text if local phone lines are overloaded or out of service.
• Tell everyone in the household where emergency information and supplies are kept.
• Practice evacuating your home twice a year. Drive your planned evacuation route and plot alternate routes on a map in case main roads are impassable.
• Don’t forget your pets. If you must evacuate, make arrangements for your animals. Keep a phone list of “pet friendly” motels/hotels and animal shelters that are along your evacuation routes.
• If you live or travel often to areas near a fault line, learn how to prepare and what to do during an earthquake. If summer brings to mind not just beaches and picnics but also tropical storms and hurricanes, arm yourself with information about what to do in case one occurs. Remember that emergencies like fires and blackouts can happen anywhere, so everyone should be prepared for them.
• Find out how you would receive information from local officials in the event of an emergency.
• Learn First Aid and CPR/AED so that you have the skills to respond in an emergency before help arrives, especially during a disaster when emergency responders maybe delayed. Visit redcross.org/takeaclass for online and in-class offerings and to register.

2. Make a plan. Talk with household members about what you would do during emergencies. Plan what to do in case you are separated, and choose two places to meet - one right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency such as a fire, and another outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate. 

3. Be informed. Know the risks where you live, work, learn and play.

The Red Cross Emergency App provides real-time emergency alerts and information about what to do in case of emergencies, as well as locations of open Red Cross shelters. It is a single ‘go-to’ source for 14 different types of emergencies and disasters and allows users to notify loved ones who are in an affected area. The Monster Guard App gives 7- to 11-year-olds a free, fun, gaming environment to learn how to prevent emergencies, like home fires, and how to stay safe if severe weather or natural disasters occur. You can download the apps for free in your app stores or at redcross.org/apps

The Red Cross has also partnered with New York State to offer free Citizen Preparedness Corps training. Available online or in person, the training provides information about common types of natural and man-made disasters and teaches effective ways to prepare for, respond to and recover from them as an individual, family and community. 

Most of all, on behalf of all of us at the Western and Central New York Region, best wishes for a very happy--and safe!!!--2017.

Make Preparedness Your Holiday Gift and Resolution!

Coming off a large-scale disaster like Western New York's recent #WinterStormKnife, this may be hard to believe. But the Red Cross responded to more house fires this year than any other type of disaster. Combined.

In the past week, the Central New York Chapter has provided assistance to 46 people who have been displaced from theirhomes by fires. In the past 24 hours, the Greater Rochester Chapter has responded to three separate fires, helping ten people. Yesterday afternoon, I joined Disaster Action Team volunteer Dennis as we assisted two people after a fire in Buffalo. While there was no media coverage like we saw during "Snowvember", all you had to do was look up at the sky where their roof was before the fire to realize this was truly a disaster for these people, especially coming so close to the holidays.

Between January 1 and December 1, 2014, the Red Cross provided food, clothing, shelter, comfort and hope to 3,381 people in Western and Central New York who had nowhere else to turn after a house fire. Tragically, we have also had 34 fire-related deaths in 2014. 

Disaster Action Team volunteer Dennis at a fire on
Bissell in Buffalo December 22

The Red Cross has launched a campaign to reduce the number of home fire deaths and injuries nationwide by 25 percent over the next five years. We are asking every household to take two simple steps: check your existing smoke alarms, and practice fire drills at home.

Don't have a smoke alarm? Part of the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign is to work with fire departments and community groups nationwide to install smoke alarms. Call (585) 241-4405 for more information about how you could have a free smoke alarm installed in your home!

http://prepare.ny.gov/online-citizen-preparedness-training

As we prepared to flip the calendar to 2015, why not resolve to make your family better prepared for emergencies, including house fires? The Red Cross has also partnered with New York State to offer the Citizen Preparedness Corps program. In just 15 minutes, this online course will give you the knowledge and tools to prepare for disasters (just make sure you choose "Red Cross" from the referral dropdown menu!). You can also schedule a free, in-person Prepare, Respond, Recover: What to do When Disaster Strikes presentation at your school, business or organization. A trained representative will present the one-hour program, providing a comprehensive overview on how to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

As if making your loved ones safer isn't enough of a holiday gift, all Western & Central NY Region in-person Citizen Preparedness Corps class registrants before March 31 will be entered to win one of two FREE generators! For more information on the Home Fire Preparedness campaign, Citizen Preparedness Corps, and how you could get a free smoke alarm or win a free generator, contact Individual and Community Preparedness Specialist Veronica Chiesi Brown at (585) 241-4405.

Let's work together to make 2015 Western and Central New York's safest year yet. That would truly be a gift that keeps on giving!

Resolve to Volunteer!

What I believe to be my only
"selfie" of 2013. Taken while
enjoying the Bills bye week.

So earlier on this New Year's Eve, a reporter friend of mine Tweeted, half jokingly (I think), "Here's an idea; for every selfie you took in 2013, volunteer that many hours in 2014." Personally, I'm not a big fan of the whole "selfie" thing, but for some people, that would leave them volunteering pretty much 24/7 in 2014!

The good news is that we have plenty of volunteer opportunities here at the American Red Cross, and some of them can take as little time as it takes post a "selfie". We always talk about the volunteers who deploy across the country in times of major disasters, or our Disaster Action Team volunteers who respond to the scene of a fire in the middle of night. But even if you don't have the time or desire to join them, you can still help the Red Cross in ways you may not have even thought of! Whether it's welcoming our clients at the front desk, initiating emergency communications with a member of our military, or even telling the Red Cross story on social media, volunteers are the lifeblood of this organization, and we have an opportunity for everyone.

So even if you didn't know what the word "selfie" meant before reading this blog, resolving to volunteer is a great way to give back to the community in 2014. And on behalf of everyone at the American Red Cross, we want to thank all of our volunteers, staff and supporters for everything you've done in 2013, and we look forward to an even better 2014!!

Make being Red Cross Ready your New Year's resolution!

We here at the Chapter love being prepared for anything that may be thrown our way, which is why we all make the resolution to be a little more Red Cross Ready every New Years! 

What does being Red Cross Ready mean you ask?

Everyone that is Red Cross Ready has evacuation plans for their households, kits that can be grabbed in a hurry if they need to evacuate or take shelter in their home, and are informed about what is going on in terms of impending natural and manmade disasters. 

Being Red Cross Ready is all about being proactive, so that when there is an emergency, you’ve already planned and are prepared to survive the emergency.  So be sure to visit our website for tips on how to be Red Cross Ready, and also to schedule a Red Cross Ready presentation for your company or organization so that you can help your co-workers get prepared for the New Year!

Helpful reminder: We know that New Year’s Eve is a big day for celebrating! Be sure to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and also to keep the candle lighting to a minimum to ensure that you don’t bring in the New Year with a disaster.

Make a New Year’s resolution to support your Chapter!

When you turn on your favorite news station and see a fellow community member’s home being ravaged by a fire, you may say “what a shame” and think how that could never happen to you and your family.  However, it does happen to families every day here in Buffalo, and when it does, we’re there to help.  We wouldn’t be able to do this without you.  

Your donations of time and money allow us to do what we do best in the community, help.  Whether it’s through Emergency Services, Disaster Preparedness, Services to Seniors, Services to the Armed Forces or HIV/AIDS Services, we are here in Buffalo to help. 

So thank you for all of the support you have given to us this past year and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the New Year so that we can continue to help all of our neighbors. 

To make a donation please visit us online or call us at 716.878.2374.

Have you thought about becoming a SAF volunteer as part of your New Year’s resolution?

Some people don’t realize that the American Red Cross is still closely connected to its roots in terms of working alongside the military.  Through our Services to the Armed Forces (SAF) program, we help connect families here in the States with their family member in the service, stateside or across the world.  This is a great opportunity to get involved and give back to Service Members and their families, and great way to incorporate benevolence into your New Year’s resolution! 

SAF volunteers work directly with family members during major events, such as a birth or the death or illness of a close relative,  to verify their emergency, and then follow the correct avenues in order to get their message delivered to their family member in the service.  Depending on the type of emergency, where the service member is located, and if it is during a time of war or peace, the Service Member may be granted leave to come home or an opportunity to call home.

If you would like to become involved in this great service, you will need to complete the Services to Armed Forces- Emergency Communication Message Training through the Chapter.  This course is a basic introductory class that gives an overview of how to receive and process a case in the Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services program, and also has an online course component that provides more hands on training. 

To schedule training, please call us at 716.878.2387 or visit us online.

Make becoming CPR certified your New Year's resolution!

If your significant other or another family member were to choke on something or stop breathing, would you know what to do? Make it your New Year’s resolution to learn!

We all normally eat at least 3 times a day, which means all of us run the risk of ourselves choking or being in the room with someone that is choking more than 20 times a week!  This is why we here at the Chapter think that everyone should be prepared for these types of situations by becoming certified in CPR/AED! So breathe a little easier this 2011 and make getting certified in CPR/AED a part of your New Year’s resolution!

Already certified? Individuals need to be recertified yearly to make sure that they are up-to-date on all of the new techniques and qualifications, so, if you can’t remember if it’s 30 to 2, 50 to 3 or you don’t even know what that means… it’s time to come back in for a refresher course!

To register for a CPR/AED course through the Chapter, visit us online or call us at 716.878.2387. 

Have you thought about becoming a DAT volunteer for your New Year’s resolution?

All of us here at the Chapter take our New Year’s resolutions pretty seriously, and we only have 5 more days to choose what we’re going to dedicate ourselves to in 2011! Whether it has to do with losing weight, not drinking coffee, working out 3 times a week, reading a book a month, having more family meals together, or volunteering more often, we all try to take advantage of the New Year to better ourselves, and we challenge you to do the same!

The Chapter offers many opportunities for individuals to get involved and better themselves, and their community.  For example, you could become a DAT volunteer.

To become a DAT volunteer, you must be 18 years or older, have  a good understanding of spoken/written English, a working personal phone, a valid driver’s license, and be able to pass a background check.  If none of these things are a concern for you, then becoming a DAT volunteer may be the perfect resolution for you!

DAT volunteers are required to take a 3 hour entry level orientation that covers the Chapter, organization and DAT.  After taking the course you will understand the roles and responsibilities of a DAT volunteer, when and how to respond to local emergencies, policies and procedures, as well as how to sign-up for on-call DAT hours. 

DAT volunteers are generally called to respond to local house fires, and are responsible for a preliminary assessment of damage as well as an assessment of the needs of each individuals that was directly affected by the fire.  After this assessment, the volunteer will determine how much assistance, if any, each individual needs in order to ensure that they are in a safe, healthy environment, where they will be provided with additional assistance to find their way back on their feet. 

If you’re interested in becoming a DAT volunteer as part of your New Year’s resolution, or just because you want to give back and better your community, please call us to schedule your training at 716.878.2387 or visit us online.