My Red Cross Story: Christine Weber

Written by: Clarice Nassif Ransom, Communications Volunteer

Volunteer: Christine Weber
Years of volunteer service: 3
Profession: Dog Trainer
Resides: Sterling, Virginia

Meet Christine Weber, volunteer for the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) for the past three years. As a volunteer, Christine helps people recover from disasters like home fires and makes sure they are cared for in their time of deepest despair.

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“I love helping people, it’s in my nature.” 

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For example, Christine will go onsite to where a home fire occurred, day or night, and help identify alternative shelter, food, supplies, and financial assistance for impacted individuals and families. 

Christine Weber

One such house fire occurred very early on Christmas morning in 2019. Christine said the house fire impacted five family members and a dog and was particularly hard on the family because it was the holidays, and they were displaced from their home. Christine said she was proud to have helped the family through this hardship by ensuring they had alternative shelter and food.

Many times, Christine works side-by-side with her father, Mike Weber, who is also a volunteer for the American Red Cross and the inspiration for Christine to become a volunteer. This father-daughter team has also helped the American Red Cross provide assistance at state funerals at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., for the late U.S. President George H.W. Bush and the late Reverend Billy Graham, according to Christine.  

“We helped support the crowds of people who came to pay respects to the late President George H.W. Bush and the late Reverend Billy Graham,” said Christine. “It was both sad and awe-inspiring at the same time because of the significance of these two individuals.”

Christine and Mike also have worked as American Red Cross volunteers at the Marine Corps Marathon, helping to aide runners along the way by providing beverages and other supplies. Additionally, they have conducted a number of American Red Cross Pillowcase project presentations in local grade schools. According to Christine, these presentations teach children the importance of being prepared to respond to disasters by having a pillowcase ready to go with supplies such as food, water, flashlight, and medicine. Christine also said another very important preparedness tool for families is to have an established place for the family to meet (like a neighbor’s tree) once they leave their home in an emergency such as a fire in the middle of the night.

Additionally, Christine is the American Red Cross volunteer who issues mission cards for the Loudoun and Prince William Counties Chapter in Northern Virginia to volunteers who are deploying. A mission card is like a pre-funded debit card issued to deployed volunteers, which the volunteers use to pay for expenses while they are deployed and responding to disasters, said Christine. 

Clockwise from top left: Christine and Pumpkin;
Christine and Buddy; Christine and Snowberry

Christine described a recent situation where she called one volunteer to arrange a meeting time and place to issue a mission card. Christine said she realized over the phone that the volunteer was having a medical situation, and she informed others in American Red Cross leadership, who then contacted the volunteer’s family member. Christine said the family member went to the volunteer’s house to check on the volunteer.  

“The volunteer was indeed having a serious medical situation and ended up in the hospital for several days,” said Christine, who said she felt good about helping out another person.

“I think it is important to be a volunteer so you can help people,” said Christine. 

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“I know everyone has busy lives, but you can always find time to help somebody" 

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"You feel better about life by volunteering because you know you helped someone else out. I know I would want someone to help me out if I experienced a disaster, the way I help out others through volunteering for the American Red Cross.”

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Volunteer for the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team

Most of the 60,000 emergencies that the Red Cross responds to each year are local, personal disasters, like home fires. Trained and available, Disaster Action Team volunteers are ready to respond to these emergencies, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. From offering a shoulder to cry on, to meeting any immediate needs for sheltering or supplies, to connecting people with long term recovery services, Red Cross volunteers ensure that families don’t have to face tough times alone. Join the Red Cross to answer the call when your neighbor needs help. 

For more information and to join us, visit: https://www.redcross.org/volunteer/disaster-action-team.html

Learn More About the Pillowcase Project Program - now being offered virtually!

The Pillowcase Project is a free interactive preparedness program designed for children in grades 3 through 5. The program aims to increase awareness and understanding of natural hazards, teach safety and emotional coping skills, as well as the importance of personal preparedness. Through the presentation, students learn the best ways to stay safe and how to create their own emergency supply kits by packing essential items in a pillowcase for easy transport during a disaster. Students will receive a digital workbook and will be encouraged to decorate and personalize their pillowcases and share what they’ve learned with friends and family.

For more information and to sign up, visit: https://www.redcross.org/local/dc-va-md-de/about-us/our-work/virtual-emergency-preparedness-programs.html

My Red Cross Story: Eric Coates

By Sandy Habib, Volunteer

Three hundred and fifty-four hours! When you do the math, that translates to almost nine 40-hour work weeks - essentially two months.

This is exactly how much time Eric Coates has volunteered with the American Red Cross between January 2018 and January 2019. This is an extraordinary amount of time by any measure, but it’s even more amazing given that Eric manages to give so much of himself and still work full-time.

Professionally, Eric is a Safety Director, ensuring that structures are architecturally secure for people to occupy. It is through his job that he began his work with the Red Cross. In December 2017, Eric was earning his “CPR Trainer” Certification, which includes CPR, AED and First Aid. The course instructor was from the Red Cross and informed him that the organization could really benefit from volunteers with backgrounds like his - in Safety, Engineering and Construction. Eric quickly got involved and did his orientation course on January 6, 2018.

From there, Eric dove head-first, used all of his vacation time from work and embarked on a fantastic journey of Red Cross volunteer work that has taken him across the National Capital Region and as far as North Carolina. In Fayetteville and Wilmington, North Carolina, he ensured that safety standards at Hurricane Florence relief shelters met local and Red Cross guidelines. In Maryland, he serves as a shelter associate. In D.C. and Maryland, he installs residential fire alarms as part of Sound the Alarm, a Red Cross program that educates families about fire safety and ensures that they have functioning fire alarms in their homes. He also works on the March for our Lives LSAP (Life Safety Asset Protection) Go Team, providing support services as needed.

“There are so many opportunities to do good with the Red Cross. I’m going to keep helping my community as long as I can. It’s extremely rewarding to be able to help so many people in need.”
Eric Coates, Red Cross Volunteer

The volunteer opportunities that Eric helps at most often, though, are house fires in the National Capital Region. Regardless of the hour or the wintery temperatures outside, Eric goes to help local families who are distressed after their homes and possessions have gone up in flames. After spending a few hours (usually in the wee hours of the night) helping to get the family settled, Eric heads back home to shower and goes straight to work. He may need a few more cups of coffee than usual to make it through his workday after assisting at a pre-dawn house fire, but for him, it’s worth it.

Volunteering at these house fires with the Red Cross is especially meaningful to Eric. He appreciates how the Red Cross provides those affected with hotel accommodation, food and a debit card to meet their basic immediate needs. Almost as importantly, though, he finds it very rewarding to be able to offer these distraught families much-needed emotional support. He helps them relax - and sometimes, even smile - which is quite a feat in the face of such loss.

Eric proudly explains, “The part of the Red Cross that I love the most is that we’re not a group that gives a debit card and walks away. We do a lot more to get distressed families through the crisis.”

Even talking to Eric is an inspiration. He speaks about the Red Cross and his volunteer work with such exuberance. He loves meeting so many diverse people, and he thrives on the contributions he is able to make to help others. Even more than the extra cups of coffee, it’s Eric’s passion for helping those in need that keeps him energized to continue volunteering with the Red Cross. 

Want to join us as a volunteer? Visit redcross.org/volunteer to learn more about opportunities.

My Red Cross Story: Lily King

By Rose Ellen O'Connor, Volunteer

Lily King needed a social service project (known as a Tzedakah Project) for her Bat Mitzvah. She’d been studying the story of Noah’s Arc and the big flood and that gave her an idea. She would reach out to flood and disaster victims across the country.

She had put together personal-care kits for disaster victims through her Girl Scout troop, but decided to work with the Red Cross this time. Lily, 12, with help from her family, managed to collect donated items to fill 300 “comfort kits,” matching the record for the most collected in a single project.

“It makes me feel wonderful that I can help so many disaster victims and make sure they will have the basic essentials as they are going through a hard time,” Lily says.

Lily started her project at the beginning of 2018 and was finishing up in late September.

“She really wanted to dedicate her time to helping disaster victims since there are so many natural disasters and floods all throughout the U.S., Lily’s mom, Linda, says. “It means a lot to her to be able to work with the Red Cross and help victims.”

Red Cross comfort kits are given out during floods, natural disasters, home fires, you name it. Each kit includes a razor and shaving gel, a toothbrush, travel-size toothpaste, travel-size body wash, travel-size hand lotion, travel/full-size shampoo, travel/full-size deodorant, facial tissues, wash cloths and a small plush toy for a small child or pet.

Lily and her mom, Linda, started out by going to grocery stores to solicit items for the comfort kits, but only a few donated. Lily’s father, Josh, decided to build an Amazon “Wish List” with exactly the items she needed, similar to a bridal or baby shower registry. Like magic, donations quickly poured in through the mail.

“Our friends were so kind and generous to donate to this amazing cause,” Linda says. “We had such an overwhelming response.”

Lily was thrilled.

“I was actually surprised by how much we got because I had heard that 300 comfort kits were the most they’ve ever gotten, so I was really happy when we received so many donations,” Lily says.

The project became a family affair. Her mother, father and brothers Zachary, 10, and Chase, 7, all worked to put the kits together. Even baby brother Brody, 3, chipped in.

“He doesn’t work as fast as us,” Lily says. “He’ll grab something and hand it to us to help us put it in.”

Weekends became a special time when the family worked together on Lily’s project.

“It makes us all feel good,” Lily says. “It was fun to work together as a family to help others.”

Lily and her family live in Rockville, Maryland. In late September, they had just received the last of their donations and were finishing up putting together the kits. Her Bat Mitzvah was this past weekend on Oct. 13 at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville. She’ll turn 13 this month and says she would like to volunteer again for the Red Cross when she’s older.

“It sounds like an awesome thing to do,” she says. “And I’ll get to help so many people.”

National Fire Prevention Week: Red Cross Safety Tips

By Carly Flumer, Volunteer

Alert! Alert! It’s Fire Prevention Week, and the Red Cross is here to bring you the seven best safety tips to prepare for a fire.

1. Install the right number of smoke alarms and make sure to replace the batteries at least once a year.

2. Teach young children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do if they hear one.

3. Make sure that everyone in your family knows how to escape from every room in your house and designate a meeting spot outside.

4. Develop a plan to communicate with your family members to know how and who to contact in case one gets lost.

5. Practice escaping from your home. A plan is best when practiced, especially when it’s been proven that families only have a mere 2 minutes to get out quickly!

• Here are helpful examples of escape plans based your home:
• Single Family Home: https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDFs/Infographics/Single_Family_Home.pdf
• Multi-Family Home: https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDFs/Infographics/Multi_Family_Dwelling.pdf
• Apartment Complex: https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDFs/Infographics/High_Rise_Apartment.pdf

• To print an escape plan that you and your family can fill out (available in English and Spanish), go to: https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/National/145733-Tier-59-Home-Fire-Escape-Plan-11x8-5-FINAL%20(1).pdf

6. Make sure everyone, especially young children, know how to dial 9-1-1 and speak with the police and/or fire department.

7. Teach each family member the STOP, DROP, and ROLL TECHNIQUE if their clothes should catch on fire.

For more information:

• Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhKD1CS8pcM
• Download our free Emergency App or text “GETEMERGENCY” TO 90999 and our children's Monster Guard App or text “MONSTER” to 90999
• Visit https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire.html

My Red Cross Disaster Volunteer Story: Herb Brennen

Pictured: Herb Brennen (Right) and Don Brauninger (Left)

Written by: Rose Ellen O’Connor, volunteer 

Herb Brennen felt a deep emptiness when his wife Susan died of breast cancer 20 years ago. Then he gave up his job as a budget administrator at Lockheed Martin in an early buyout and he had unexpected time on his hands, which only heightened his loneliness. He was looking for things to do and saw an ad for the Red Cross. 

“It was after she had passed away that I got into the Red Cross,” Herb says. “Her death left a big hole in my life and I was looking for things to fill it.”

Herb was quickly hooked on the Red Cross. In 2002, he deployed to Louisiana for Hurricane Lili, the second most destructive hurricane of that year. Since then, he’s been on a dozen deployments to all sorts of disasters from wildfires and mudslides in California, to tornados in North Carolina and Tennessee, to hurricanes in New York and Florida. His shortest deployment lasted several days; his longest was two and a half months in Houston for Hurricane Katrina. That devastating hurricane struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005, packing winds of up to 175 miles an hour. It killed 1,836 people and resulted in $81 billion in damage. An estimated 1.5 million people were evacuated and tens of thousands fled to shelter in Houston.

Herb’s task on deployment is to arrange short-term financial assistance for disaster victims. Sometimes he’s removed from one-on-one contact. In Houston, he oversaw 400 people inputting data to set up financial assistance for hurricane victims and didn’t interact with them. Other times, he deals directly with the hurricane survivors. He sees a lot of desperation and is rewarded by being able to help.

“When you’re in a situation where people are absolutely needy and you’re able to give them a credit card and they can then use that money to provide for their family, the look on their face tells it all,” Herb says. “Relief. And gratitude.”

Sometimes his volunteer work can be very emotional. Herb recalls a mother he helped in Chattanooga, TN. He was deployed there after heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides. She had an infant, two toddlers, and was fighting drug addiction. She became very emotional as she told her story to Herb and he couldn’t get her to stop crying, so he sent for a mental health expert to help her. After she calmed down, Herb began to tell her that he was arranging a hotel room for her and would give her a credit card so she could buy food for herself and the children and formula for the baby. She was so grateful, she grabbed his arms and thanked him and became very emotional again.

“She started to cry again and I got emotional,” Herb recalls. “And the three of us were sitting there, all of us practically crying.”

Herb says most of the hurricane clients used the financial aid to get out of the shelter. Some used the money to go back to their homes and wait for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to give them money to repair their houses, and others, having lost everything, used the money to move on.

In September 2004, Herb deployed to Fort Pierce, FL for Hurricane Frances. He remembers giving assistance to a mother of three small children who needed bus fare to get to family who could give them housing in another part of the state. In August, after Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, killing at least 88 people and doing $125 billion in damage, Herb deployed to Houston. Among those needing financial assistance was a homeless man looking for fare to another part of Texas where a friend was going to give him a job. In each case, the recipient of the assistance was, again, relieved. 

“Total relief,” Herb says. “Because they were broke and they had no way to get out of the shelter and they wanted to leave the shelter and the assistance gave them the means to do it.”

When Herb isn’t taking off for floods or hurricanes or wildfires, he works local disaster relief in Prince William County, VA. He responds to house fires about once or twice a month. Asked what drives him, his answer is simple.

“I think the same thing that drives anyone as a volunteer for Red Cross,” Herb says. “You volunteer because you see there’s a need and there’s something you can do about it. I think every Red Cross volunteer will tell you the same thing.”

Herb lives in Haymarket, VA. He has two children, Adina and Greg, and five grandchildren. Before working for Lockheed Martin, he worked for 27 years as a budget administrator for IBM.

My Red Cross Disaster Volunteer Story: Bill Sien

Written by: Rose Ellen O’Connor, volunteer

It was a blustery February day and it had been a busy one for Bill Sien, 77. He was one of 25 volunteers, coordinating with the fire chief and his crew, to fan out to 185 homes in Manassas, VA, offering fire safety tips and smoke alarms free of charge to residences. At the end of the day, they had installed 156 alarms in 46 homes as part of the Red Cross’ house fire prevention program called Sound the Alarm.

One of those homes, in particular, stood out for Bill.

He had been inside for about a half-an-hour installing smoke alarms on both floors and two bedrooms. As he was preparing to leave, the women living in the home broke into a big smile and said, “I know you.” It clicked for Bill. It had been a far less pleasant experience the last time they’d met. A few months earlier, she and her family – a boyfriend and a small child – had lost their home, also in Manassas, in a fire.

Bill, a DAT (Disaster Action Team) lead responder had arrived on the scene to find chaos. The residents were immigrants from Nepal and had no other family to turn to for help. The anxiety and confusion were typical of a house fire scene.

“They’re very distraught,” Bill says. “They’re confused. They don’t know what to do. I mean, this is the worst day of their life and they’re so happy to have someone help them walk it through. We give them a list of things they need to do.”

“They need to get all of their essential items out of the house – items like a charger for their phone, wallet, drivers license, anything that they can’t live without, prescription drugs and things like that.”

The family was able to get out essentials but little else. Bill arranged for lodging for them and gave them blankets and a Red Cross pamphlet that goes through all the things that need to be done to recover from a fire, step by step. He also gave them “comfort bags” filled with toiletries, including a toothbrush and comb. The woman was so grateful that she gave him a big hug when he left.

Flash forward to the February day when she was in her new home with four new fire alarms.

“I told her this is so much better than that last experience and you could see the joy in her face. I said you know you’re doing something preventative here so you can avoid what you went through the last time.”

When Bill isn’t volunteering for the Red Cross, he’s running his own business. He coordinates wireless mikes on game days for the NFL, the Washington Nationals and the University of Maryland. He lives with his wife, Teresa, in Haymarket, VA, and likes to spend time with his two children and five grandchildren, including a set of twins, all who live in the area.

Join the National Capital Region at upcoming Sound the Alarm events! 

My IN THE BAG Red Cross Story: Alyce Phinney

Written by: Rose Ellen O’Connor, volunteer

On a spring morning two years ago, Alyce Phinney was waiting for the school bus at an Alexandria bus stop when she heard a neighbor’s house had caught fire. After loading her two boys on the bus, she drove to the neighbor’s house to see if she could help and ended up taking the family’s little girl to school. It seemed firetrucks were everywhere at the scene and the family looked distraught. They carried what they could gather from the house in garbage bags.

Alyce was proud, but not surprised, to see the Red Cross there. Every eight minutes the organization responds to a house fire. Red Crossers arranged lodging for the family, calmly told family members what they needed to do, and offered blankets and toiletry bags. Alyce was on her way that morning to a kick-off meeting for the upcoming fall IN THE BAG event, which auctions designer handbags to raise money for the Red Cross. She told committee members how moved she was to see the Red Cross instilling calm where there was palpable panic.

“Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” Alyce says. “We want to be proud of our event, we want to auction great looking handbags, but the most important thing is to be reminded why we do this work.”

IN THE BAG was started eight years ago by Red Cross volunteer Brenda Blisk. The committee solicits new or gently used designer handbags, among them Gucci, Kate Spade and Michael Kors. Last November the event auctioned 147 handbags, ranging in price from $200 to $1,350. The auction raised $133,000 in less than three hours.

Alyce, 44, is uniquely qualified to solicit handbags for the event. She has worked for 10 years in the handbag department at Neiman Marcus and has a close relationship with many of the women who buy purses from her. A longtime client, Dr. Marta Wilson, brought her to the event as a guest five years ago, thinking Alyce would have a great network for soliciting bags. She was right. Almost half of the bags sold at last year’s auction – 70 of 147 – came from Alyce’s contacts.

“I’m like a constant cheerleader. I send an email out to my clients. I talk about this event all the time at work,” Alyce says. “You know it’s hard to go to a client and say, ‘Hey, do you have eleven hundred and fifty dollars to contribute to the Red Cross?’ But it’s easy to say, ‘Do you have something in your closet that you’re not enjoying anymore? Do you want to donate it to help save a life?”

Alyce says clients are thankful for the chance to contribute.

“I’m grateful to them for giving,” Alyce says, “but on the flipside, as they are giving me the handbag, they always thank me for being involved in this so they can make this kind of contribution.”

She says she was “blown away” by the professionalism and attention to detail when she first came to the event five years ago. She was introduced to Brenda Blisk and asked if she could help. “I said if you’ll have me, I’ll make the commitment right here and now that I will serve on the committee for next year.”

She now co-chairs a subcommittee of 30 women who oversee handbags for the auction. Each of the women contributes a bag for the event. They also get contributions from companies and sometimes they get help from unexpected places. Two years ago, a woman from New York City found the charity on the internet. They never met her but she contributed a black vintage Hermes bag that sold for $3,000.

Most contributions, however, come through networking. One of Alyce’s clients, Carol Chill, had recently lost her husband and was sorting through her belongings. She found five bags she wanted to donate, including a 15-year-old Gucci brown tote that still had the tickets on it. It went for $1,150. It was on sale for $600 when Carol bought it, but its age made it vintage and thus more valuable.

“It had been sitting in her closet all those years, nobody enjoying it,” Alyce says. “She was tickled.”

Alyce and fellow committee members are now preparing for this year’s auction on November 16. Bags have to be solicited and then cleaned, sorted and tagged for the event. She’s made it a family affair. Her son Tobey, 10, helped clean and tag the bags last year, and her seven-year-old son, Lucas, helped clean. And they’ll be back this year, she says. “It’s a great way to do volunteer work with your children.”

For more information on this year’s auction, visit www.inthebagrc.com.

Kristen Shaw's Story: Smoke Detectors Save Lives

Written by: Kristen Shaw, volunteer

I remember one night in high school waking up in the wee hours of the morning to the sound of a deafening BOOM through my window. I groggily stumbled out of bed and peeked through my blinds to see where the noise had come from and spotted a massive orange flame gaining strength on the roof of a nearby house. A propane tank had exploded somewhere on the street and a fire had started! I flew down the hall to wake my parents as fire trucks pulled up outside, and a few minutes later most of the neighbors, like us, had trickled out onto the street to see what was happening. Less than an hour later the blaze was extinguished, and my classmate and his family were okay, but their home had become a blackened shell. They had lost their beloved pets and most of their belongings in the fire. It took them months to rebuild.

Home fires claim about seven lives every day. Much like that night in high school, fires can happen at any time and spread fast, and being prepared is the best way to survive them. My neighbors were able to get themselves outside quickly because of they had working smoke detectors that worked properly.

In 2014, the Red Cross launched its Home Fire Campaign called Sound the Alarm. Safe a Life.  Its goal is to reduce home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent by 2020. To do this, volunteers visit at risk neighborhoods, providing fire safety education, outfitting homes with free smoke alarms, and inspecting existing smoke alarms to ensure they work properly.  Since Sound the Alarm was launched in October 2014, over 1 million smoke alarms have been installed in homes across the country, improving the fire safety of over 400,000 homes, and saving 332 lives!

Today I live with my sister in a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor. We are very interested in home safety, so we drew up a fire plan and bought a fire ladder to hang out of either of our windows in the case of an emergency. We make sure to test our fire alarms regularly. We’re also careful to turn off all space heaters, curling irons, and the stove after each use and before leaving the apartment. Simple but important tips like these help the Red Cross teach the public about fire safety. It is especially important to reach out to youth and the elderly to help them reduce the risk of fire.

You can get involved in the Sound the Alarm campaign by fundraising, donating, or helping to install fire alarms in your community! Visit http://www.redcross.org/local/washington-dc/home-fire-safety for more information and upcoming event dates.

My Red Cross Story: Norma & Bill

Written by: Mallory Rabon, volunteer

How quickly an ordinary day can turn upside down. It had been like any other, and there was nothing irregular to mark the night as peculiar. Norma had fallen asleep on the couch in the den, her books lying unread beside her, and Bill was asleep in the bedroom. Being a light sleeper, Norma startled awake around 1 a.m. to an odd noise coming from outside. She moved from the den to investigate, and in her half-awake state, she could barely register what she was witnessing – flames on the back patio. Bill and Norma’s night quickly turned into a nightmare as they rushed to evacuate their home and watched their house burn from the street. As neighbors came outside to keep them company, a Red Cross volunteer named Martha arrived on the scene. She was an unexpected comfort to the devastated couple, and she brought a sense of calm to the horrible situation. Martha provided more than kindness and compassion when she brought Bill and Norma a bag full of shampoo, clothes, toiletries, and a gift card – necessities that are so-often taken for granted until they are gone.

In the days that followed, Norma and Bill struggled to move forward. They are grateful for Martha’s help, and though being displaced is difficult, they were very appreciative of the Red Cross’ assistance. Unfortunately, most of the house was destroyed, and as Norma so aptly put it, “the fire did $100,000 of damage and the water to put it out did $200,000.” The home is barely salvageable, but they were able to recover some of their belongings to be cleaned and refurbished. Thankfully, Norma and Bill had temporary housing on the same block, which was a perfect location to ensure that their “Hill’s kitty feeding station” was still in business and that their two cats could still be properly fed. Norma says that they are “encouraging one another and keeping a good profile.” She went on to say that they are not going to stay in a place of sadness, and they want to keep a joyful spirit.

Through the help of their wonderful neighbors, friends, Red Cross volunteers like Martha, and many more, they feel an overwhelming sense of support that helps them to stay positive. Though the fire was unexpected, the unanticipated aid and encouragement from the surrounding community certainly made Norma and Bill feel that they are not alone during a challenging and stressful time.

You can help by taking action to prevent home fires!

 

 

Red Cross Home Fire Campaign Helps Save Lives. And You Can Too

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, Volunteer

Home fires. They cause injuries, death, destruction of property, disruption of lives, and make up the majority of the 66,000 annual responses to disasters nationwide by the American Red Cross.

The Home Fire Campaign, launched by the American Red Cross in 2014, is a multi-year nationwide effort to reduce home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent – and it is working. Throughout the year, groups of volunteers install smoke alarms and deliver fire safety information in neighborhoods that are at high-risk for fires with our local partners. Since the start of the campaign, the American Red Cross and its partners have helped save at least 131 lives and installed more than 619,000 smoke alarms in 8,400 cities and towns nationwide, according to a January 11th news release.

“Locally, we responded to about 500 home fires and disasters in 2016,” said Linda Mathes, Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross in the National Capital Region, in that same news release. “These home fires are devastating for the people involved and are also responsible for a number of deaths and injuries. That is why our Home Fire Campaign is so important. We want to help save lives by installing smoke alarms in homes that don’t have them and educating people about home fire safety.”

The most effective ways to protect yourself and your home from fires are:

• Identify and remove fire hazards
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, test them monthly, and replace batteries annually
• Practice a fire escape drill twice a year and ensure all members of the household are included
• Download and print a list of fire prevention and safety tips

What else can you do?

Get involved by volunteering for an upcoming Home Fire Campaign – there is always room for volunteers and no experience necessary.

You can also consider making a donation by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999.

The Home Fire Campaign is made possible by corporate sponsors who contribute financially and by donating smoke detectors as well as the hundreds of the American Red Cross’ local partner organizations, fire departments, and volunteers.

Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service Smoke Alarm Installation Project and Fire Safety 101

Written by: Harsha Jha, volunteer

Did you know that working smoke detectors cut the risk of dying in home fires by half?

The American Red Cross has an objective to install smoke detectors in homes in order to reduce the number of fire deaths in the US by 25% within five years. The aim of this campaign is to go door-to-door and install smoke alarms in neighborhoods at high-risk for home fires. The American Red Cross is installing smoke alarms throughout the National Capital Region and needs your help!

If you are looking for community service opportunities or simply want to help out, please register here. 

If you are unable to help install smoke alarms, please learn more with these fire safety tips:

Multi-Family Dwelling:

1. Identify two exits for every room
2. Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, including inside and outside each bedroom and in the basement 

Apartment Complex:

1. Install smoker alarms inside and outside each bedroom
2. If you are trapped, call 911 and hang a white sheet outside your window
3. Have a designated spot outside for everyone to meet

Single-Family Home: 

1. Identify two exits for every room
2. Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, including inside and outside each bedroom and in the basement
3. Have a designated spot outside for everyone to meet

Did you know that if a fire starts in your home, you have just two minutes to get out? Make sure that you have installed smoke alarms in the proper areas and check that your smoke alarms work. It is important to test your smoke alarms every month and replace batteries when needed. Also develop an evacuation plan with everyone you live with and practice the plan! With these tips and suggestions, you too can become a “pro” at fire safety. Don’t forget to give back to the community by installing smoke alarms if you can. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Preparedness - Get to know us before you need us

Part 1 of a multi-part series

Written by: Erwin Stierle, Executive Director for Loudoun County

For sure, we are blessed to be in an area like ours where natural disasters aren't as prevalent as in other parts of the country.  But, it doesn't mean being prepared shouldn't be a priority for us all.  To help reduce the risk of home fires, households need to be vigilant with their preparedness.  Home fires are our nation’s largest national and local (Loudoun and Prince William) disaster threat that we face right now – more than any natural disaster.

Home fires devastate families and communities.  When a home fire hits, our local first responders ensure that the families are safe and that the threat of fire to a family's safety is removed.  The Red Cross responds to those fires to ensure the family has a resource for shelter, food, clothing and comfort.  When the fire is put out, what happens then?  It makes no difference if the family is insured or not.  When there is a home fire, there is an immediate family need that only the Red Cross can fulfill.  Whether it's medication needs; food, shelter, clothing needs; psychological needs; etc., the Red Cross stands ready to help during these times of disaster.

The preparedness effort devoted to reducing home fires includes our Home Fire Campaign, which takes Red Cross volunteers into community neighborhoods to canvass with preparedness information and to even install smoke alarms in homes where they are needed.  The nationwide goal is to reduce home fire related deaths and injuries by 25% in the next 5 years.

For our youth, preparedness education comes in the form of our Pillowcase Project, a Disney-sponsored initiative to teach students in grades 3-5 how to prepare for local disasters like home fires and to utilize their personally decorated pillowcases as their disaster bag, which is stuffed with their preparedness items as well as their favorite blanket, toy or stuffed animal.

To further prepare our community, the Red Cross offers our residents, local companies, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations and community organizations the opportunity to prepare their constituents and employees with First Aid, CPR and AED training - lifesaving skills that can be used at any time in the case of emergency.  Locally, one of our Prince William Leadership Council members needed to use CPR immediately after her husband’s massive heart attack while in their home.  In the end, she saved her husband's life using the lifesaving skills training she learned from the American Red Cross.  Over the course of the last year, we trained nearly 15,000 people across Loudoun and Prince William Counties in lifesaving skills training like CPR, First Aid, Babysitter Training, Lifeguarding and Water Safety.

This is all part of your Red Cross community preparedness effort throughout Loudoun and Prince William Counties.  We’re active, we’re preparing our community, and we’re here for you to get to know us before you need us.

Day of Local Giving in Loudoun

What if your home burned down?  

What would you do immediately afterwards?  Where would you go?  When a home fire hits, lives are saved with smoke alarms.  It’s a blessing when no lives are lost in a home fire.  But, what happens next if you’ve lost your home and everything in it?  The American Red Cross in the National Capital Region responds to home fires nearly every single day.  We are there to comfort and help families with the recovery effort, provide them with basic supplies, give money and shelter to accommodate their immediate needs.  We work with those families until they have recovered from the trauma of losing their home and are able to comfortably rebuild.

Throughout the National Capital Region, we provided the following programs and services last year:

• Responded to 523 local disasters including home fires

• Mobilized 2,219 volunteers

• Provided 4,498 services in our community

• Trained 57,963 people in CPR, First Aid, AED and life-saving water safety skills

• In Loudoun County alone, there were 3,150 units of blood collected – enough to potentially save over 9,000 lives!

Here is a 30-second story shared by someone who have been helped by the American Red Cross.
 
You can help ensure these vital community services are available in Loudoun County – yes, home fires devastate a family nearly 2 times a month in Loudoun.  Give.Choose is 1-day crowd-funding campaign that supports local Loudoun charities – your local American Red Cross is one of those.  We ask that you give TODAY to support us and the families we serve by visiting our giving page.

Written by: Erwin Stierle, Executive Director Loudoun and Prince William Counties

Fire Safety Friday

Written by: Susan Kumah, volunteer

While many Americans think Mother Nature is the leading cause of disasters, statistics show that it is in fact homes fires that pose the largest disaster threat. In the US, 1,000 times a day, fire departments are called to home fires. In fact, out of the 70,000 disasters the Red Cross responds every year, home fires make up the majority of cases. Data shows that vulnerable demographics such as low income groups, youth populations, the elderly, and disabled are disproportionately affected by home fires.

How is it possible that there is one fire every 8 minutes in the United States? Don't statistics show that the US possesses the world's leading manufacturers in smoke detection technology? Aren't there many state laws that require working smoke detectors within houses? True and true. While accidents can happen to anybody, accidents do not have to produce devastating outcomes. Prevention takes no more than a couple of minutes every month in order to minimize the risk of home fires. Red Cross recommends installing fire alarms on each level of your home including one outside the kitchen and one outside each bedroom. Even more important to the location of the fire alarm is its efficiency i.e. checking if the device is working.  Working smoke detectors can double the chance of someone surviving a fire, so it is important that these devices are checked every month and replaced every ten years. Also everyone should practice their evacuation plan twice a year.

The American Red Cross will continue to increase its effort to decrease disaster threats caused by home fires. The Home Fire Preparedness Campaign for example, was established to educate communities about how to make their households less prone to home fires. Through community level interventions, volunteers go door-to-door teaching residents how to maintain smoke detectors, fire alarms, and install working detectors. You can get involved in a canvassing activity by signing up through Volunteer Connection.

Young people are also participating in the prevention strategies through the American Red Cross's annual Youth Preparedness week. From January 20 – 24 2014, 1,639 youth volunteers canvassed 375 neighborhoods and distributed 144,657 fire safety and “make a plan” door hangers in Spanish and English. The American Red Cross continues to pass the baton by making young people keenly aware of fire safety. The Pillowcase Project, a fire education program for 3rd - 5th graders, has educated children with information about local hazard preparedness. The Red Cross is currently looking for Pillowcase Project presenters also on Volunteer Connection.

Through these various forms of awareness, individuals throughout the country are lessening their risk of home fires. Visit redcross.org to view our Home Fire Safety Checklist, Escape Plan, and see what Training and Preparedness Education options are available to you.

Through the Eyes of DAT: Disaster Action Team

Dale City Apartment Fire, February 9, 2015

Written by: Sara Cook, Red Cross DAT Volunteer

At 10:25pm the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region Disaster Action Team (DAT) responded to an apartment fire on Boxwood Drive in Dale City, VA.

The first task for the five DAT Responders, as always, is to touch base with the Fire Department. Afterwards they reached out to four families, a total of 15 people scattered around the immediate area waiting in their cars to keep warm in the frigid and rainy night. DAT immediately offered blankets and tried to secure a warm meeting area to begin the process of getting them all a place to settle in for the night. DAT also provided Comfort Kits to all of the victims of the fire, which include a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, tissues, soap, and other daily essentials.

It was a very long and cold night for all of the responders and residents. When the Building Inspector finished his review of the building, he allowed the unaffected residents to remain in their homes. Two other families were provided with a local hotel room for 3 nights. All of the effected individuals were provided with emergency funds for food and immediate clothing needs.

With all of the residents’ immediate needs met, DAT departed the scene at 1:30am. The next day, a follow-up team met with the family that was unable to have a household representative present at the time of the fire, which gave the DAT team an opportunity to see one of the other families from the night before. It isn’t often that DAT Responders get a chance to see their clients a second time. They had three generations of boys at the apartment working together to retrieve the contents of the house and take them to storage. They were all in very good spirits saying, “We’re just blessed that no one was hurt.” After catching up on recovery plans and talking about what to do with soaked mattresses (throw them out, they don’t dry), DAT left them to get reorganized and move on from the fire.

Every 8 minutes, the American Red Cross responds to a home fire or other emergency. You don't have to be a DAT team member to help home fire victims in your community. #GiveWhatFireTakes to install smoke detectors, provide clothes, or financial assistance.

See more of Sara Cook’s photos.

Being Prepared!

Prince George's Disaster Action Team Calls for More Volunteers

By Jessica McEntee, Communication Intern

Lennox Jones channels the Red Cross value of preparedness. As the volunteer Disaster Action Team Coordinator in Prince George's County, he's currently looking for even more volunteers to help staff his busy team.

A Disaster Action Team (DAT) is the first response to calls requesting Red Cross assistance. Comprised entirely of volunteers, the team is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Currently, sub-teams that should be filled with 12 to 14 volunteers are working with only 2 to 2 volunteers. Prince George's County is frequently affected by home fires and had over 85 Red Cross fire responses in the last year alone. Despite their passion to help others, Lennox's understaffed team is feeling the effects.

"The greater need of families in distress propels me to move forward even when my body tells me I'm too tired," says Lennox, whose calling on county residents to join the Red Cross movement.

There's a need to not just respond to the daily response, like home fires, but to be prepared for larger events as well. Lennox wants to use this time to train new volunteers for large-scale disasters. 

"One of the things I love is going out to help families," says Lennox.

Lennox says that he decided to get involved with the Red Cross in order to do something more with his life after retiring from George Washington University. He always had a desire to get involved in emergency management and response, so, in 2013, he joined the Red Cross as a volunteer DAT responder in Prince George's County. He was recently promoted as the team's Coordinator. 

Lately, Lennox's teams has been short on manpower and he's hoping for more volunteers to help out.

"We're looking for people whose desire to help surpasses their desire to be comfortable," says Lennox.

It also happens to be a great time to get involved since March is Red Cross Month! If you're interested in volunteering in Prince George's County for the Red Cross Disaster Action Team, please contact CHNCRVolunteerEngagement@redcross.org or call 703.584.8444. 

Any contribution helps!