Who Bought the Hot Dogs?

Posted on January 20, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Red Cross Volunteers Treated to Lunch By Anonymous Diner

Responding to a call for action from the Red Cross to support the Martin Luther King Day of Service, more than a dozen volunteers joined Red Cross staff members from the Lake to River Chapter to offer residents of Warren, Niles and Girard fire safety tips and free smoke alarm installations.

Some of those volunteers were thanked in an unexpected, but welcome, way.

They began their day by receiving instructions from Disaster Program Manager, Scott Meeker and Disaster Program Specialist, Kristen Gallagher, and then headed out into the wintry Northeast Ohio weather, braving blowing snow and single-digit temperatures.

Several teams were formed, each visiting the homes of residents who registered with the Red Cross for free fire safety instruction and free smoke alarm installation.

Photo Credit: Cal Pusateri/American Red Cross Volunteer

During their lunch break, three volunteers ate at the Jib Jab Hot Dog Shoppe in Girard.

“They were all wearing Red Cross vests and were talking about the alarms they had installed that morning,” said Karen Conklin, Executive Director of the Red Cross Lake to River Chapter. “When they went to pay the bill, a good Samaritan had already paid it. How cool is that?”

The volunteers, from Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and Christ Episcopal Church, were joined by Lt. Chuck Eggleston of the Warren Fire Department during the Day of Service in honor of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. They installed 95 smoke alarms in 40 homes, making each neighborhood they entered safer.

If you live in Northeast Ohio, and would like a free fire safety inspection and free smoke alarms installed in your home, visit redcross.org/neoosal.

The Fight Against Fire Fatalities Ongoing

Posted on January 12, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Icon Disaster

By Tim O’Toole
Regional Disaster Officer, Northeast Ohio

121 people lost their lives in Ohio last year due to accidental fires, according to information provided to the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Prevention Bureau.

Unfortunately, two counties within the Northeast Ohio Region top several lists.

Cuyahoga County in the Greater Cleveland Chapter led the state with 14 accidental fire fatalities. This is twice as high as the counties with the second highest number.
Jefferson County in the Lake to River Chapter led the state in per capita deaths, with 7 fatalities. Although these deaths occurred in just 3 events, it still is still an alarming number.

Fire deaths continue to impact the very young and the senior community. Nearly half of the fire victims were over 60 years of age.

Smoke alarms were present in only 25% of the fire locations. This number indicates only that they were present, and not whether they functioned correctly.

The takeaway is that the mission of the American Red Cross is an important one. And one that isn’t going away.

4 people lost their lives last night (1/11/16) in Summit County. Every Day, tragedy strikes our communities. But our Disaster Cycle Service processes of Prepare, Respond and Recover align perfectly with the problem these numbers dictate. Our education and prevention programs can reduce the number of future fires and prepare people to respond appropriately when they do occur. Daily, our response teams and caseworkers continue to provide support for those who do suffer the effects of hostile fires and help them recover from the impact. And finally, Operation Save-A-Life, our Home Fire Preparedness Campaign will continue to help prevent the fatalities that too often occur as a result of those fires.

These numbers indicate not only the importance of our mission, but also the fact that we must increase our efforts to insure we impact them positively in the future.

I thank all Disaster Service volunteers and staff for their dedicated and sincere support of the mission.

I am proud to be part of it.

Tim O’Toole
Regional Disaster Officer
Northeast Ohio Region

Learn more about Operation Save-A-Life, the Red Cross effort to reduce fire fatalities in Northeast Ohio by providing fire safety education and FREE smoke alarm installations, at redcross.org/neoosal.

Read more about volunteer opportunities with the Red Cross here.

Our Story: 2015 in Review

Posted on December 31, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

A word of thanks to everyone who visited us here in 2015, to read about the good work being done by volunteers and staff of the American Red Cross, Northeast Ohio Region.

Operation Save-A-Life, Lorain, Ohio, October 2015

The concert hall at Severance holds 1,844 people. This blog was viewed about 9,900 times in 2015. If it were a Cleveland Orchestra concert at Severance Hall, it would take more than 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it!

Click here to see the complete report.

Give With Meaning

Posted on December 1, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Giving Tuesday. It’s a call to donate to a meaningful cause as the holiday season gets underway. And there’s no more meaningful cause than the American Red Cross, for a variety of reasons.

Most people associate the Red Cross with blood, and for good reason. The Red Cross collects and processes more than 40% of the nation’s blood supply.

Red Cross workers also respond to nearly 70,000 disasters a year, the vast majority of them house fires. People suddenly faced with a crisis get help with immediate needs, like food and lodging, and longer-term assistance, such as mental health services and referrals to other agencies.

In an effort to prevent fire fatalities, the Red Cross and its partners install smoke alarms in homes, at no cost to the residents.

CPR/AED, lifeguarding and babysitting training are among the health and safety programs offered by the Red Cross, to help individuals effectively respond to emergencies.

The Red Cross also helps keep members of the military connected with their loved ones back home. It’s just one of the Services to Armed Forces offered.

Your donation to the American Red Cross on Giving Tuesday, and at any time can help in so many ways. Visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

**Please note, our window for collecting Holiday Mail for Heroes for the 2015 season is closed so that we may sort through the cards and deliver them. Please mark your calendars for November 2016 if you wish to participate in the program.

Red Cross Assisting Dozens Displaced By Apartment Fire

Posted on November 23, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Photo credit: Jeremy Bayer/American Red Cross

Residents Chased From Their Homes Close to Thanksgiving Holiday

Red Cross workers and volunteers were called for assistance after fire broke out in an apartment building in Geauga County early Monday morning.

45 residents have been affected by the fire, with several seeking assistance for overnight lodging, as temperatures dip to some of the coldest readings of the year.

The Monday morning fire follows another very busy weekend for Red Cross disaster workers, who were called to a dozen home fires, offering immediate financial assistance to more than 50 people for food, lodging, and other immediate needs. Follow-up assistance, such as mental health services and referrals to other agencies will also be provided.

It was a similar story the weekend before, with a like number of people chased from their homes by fire, and receiving Red Cross assistance.

There is much to be thankful for: no fatalities were reported.

The American Red Cross is attempting to reduce home fire fatalities through Operation Save-A-Life. With the help of local fire departments and other community partners, the Red Cross offers free smoke alarms, in many neighborhoods going door-to-door installing the alarms, and offering residents valuable fire safety information.

Photo credit: Cal Pusateri/American Red Cross Volunteer

For more information or to schedule a free fire safety inspection for your home, visit the Operation Save-A-Life website.

Top Ten Fire Safety Tip List

Posted on September 16, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

For Home and Work

The biggest disaster threat in the United States isn’t tornado, hurricane or flood: it is fire. The American Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters every year. Most are home fires. In Northeast Ohio, Red Cross workers and volunteers help an average of 3 families, victims of home fires every night.

Mike Parks, Chief Executive of the American Red Cross, Northeast Ohio Region recently appeared on WKYC Channel 3 to help the station kick-off its Safety Week activities. Station management has a genuine concern for the well-being of the Channel 3 workforce, so they turned to the Red Cross during National Preparedness Month to help improve worker readiness in the face of an emergency.

During Mike’s visit to the station on Monday, September 14, the fire alarm was sounded. Employees were not warned in advance. The exercise was meant to assess their reaction. Hosts Michael Cardamone and Hollie Giangreco vacated the premises promptly, along with the studio crew and support staff. Mike then went on the air with station President and General Manager Micki Byrnes to explain the importance of responding immediately to a fire alarm, and to credit the employees who evacuated without hesitation.

“This is something all companies should be doing,” he said. “All organizations should have a plan in place.”

Fire prevention and escape plans aren’t just for the workplace: every home should have a plan as well.

Here is a Top Ten list of Fire Safety Tips:

Install smoke alarms on every floor
Change the batteries at least once a year, and install a new one if the low-battery alarm chirps
Test alarms once a month
Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like and what to do if they hear it
Establish at least two escape routes from your home
Consider emergency escape ladders for rooms on the second floor and above
Select a meeting spot where your family can safely gather after escaping
Practice your escape plan twice a year: time each drill until every family member can escape within two minutes
Make an emergency kit. Get the basics from our previous blog posting here.
Visit redcross.org to find out more about how to protect you and your family from fire

Every year, the Red Cross spends an average of $370 million helping people and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from nearly 70,000 disasters across the country and around the world. Help people affected by disasters like home fires and countless other crises by making a donation to support Red Cross Disaster Relief. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation towards disaster relief.

And be watching Channel 3 News for more coverage of National Preparedness Month. Employees are being offered classes in First Aid and CPR through the American Red Cross.

Operation Save-A-Life Volunteers Help Protect Euclid Residents From Home Fires

Posted on August 24, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

A neighborhood in Euclid is measurably safer today, after volunteers from the American Red Cross Greater Cleveland Chapter teamed up with employees from Lincoln Electric and the Euclid Fire Department to educate, check smoke alarms, replace old batteries, and install new alarms where needed.

It was the largest one-day installation event in the history of the Northeast Ohio Region.

Part of the Red Cross Operation Save-A-Life program, the Euclid Fire Safety Walk targeted homes on five streets west and north of Euclid High School on E. 222nd Street. 10 teams of volunteers fanned out across the neighborhood to go door-to-door, sharing fire safety information with nearly 700 households.

The enthusiastic volunteers were briefed by John Gareis, Regional Training Coordinator for the Northeast Ohio region of the Red Cross. Leading the dozens of volunteers from Lincoln Electric was CEO, Chris Mapes, who offered a prayer prior to the start of the walk, as volunteers gathered at the Euclid Fire Department. Team leaders were chosen, team members were assigned, and the volunteers were dispatched, many working for several hours to make sure every house in the neighborhood was covered.

“Because smoke alarms cut the risk of death from fire in half, the efforts of the volunteers will help prevent human suffering,” according to Mike Parks, CEO of the Northeast Ohio Region. Mike also joined volunteers, asking residents to take two simple steps that can save lives: check their existing smoke alarms and practice fire drills with their families.

Chris and Mike both worked diligently to determine fire safety needs and install smoke alarms when needed. After seeing a group of children playing on Westport Ave., Chris traveled to the nearest Dairy Queen and bought Dilly Bars, taking them back to the kids who were grateful for the cool treats on a warm, sunny summer day.

Fire experts agree that people may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it’s too late. But a recent national survey shows more than 60% of Americans mistakenly believe they have five minutes or more to get out of a burning home. And nearly 20% think they have at least 10 minutes to escape. The poll also shows fewer than one in five families with children have actually practiced a home fire drill, and that nearly 70% of parents think their children would know what to do or how to escape a burning home with little help. Those are some of the potentially deadly myths that were dispelled during the Fire Safety Walk.

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By the end of the day, 354 new smoke alarms had been installed, and many more existing alarms had fresh batteries, thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of the volunteers from the Red Cross and Lincoln Electric.

The goal for fiscal year 2016 is to install 10,000 smoke detectors in the 22 county Northeast Ohio region, and we’re right on target: by the end of September (the end of the first quarter of FY ’16) 2,585 smoke alarms had been installed.

If you would like to volunteer, or learn more about volunteer opportunities, visit www.redcross.org/volunteer.

Fourth of July Safety Tips: Celebrate Independence Day Safely

Posted on July 2, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

This Fourth of July weekend, many people will be traveling, firing up the backyard grill or enjoying fireworks, so we wanted to offer a series of steps everyone can follow to safely enjoy the holiday weekend!

HIGHWAY SAFETY Millions of Northeast Ohioans will hit the road over the Fourth of July weekend. (Auto club AAA estimates that 41.9 million Americans will travel over the weekend, the most in eight years!) Here are five things everyone should do to stay safe while traveling:

Buckle seat belts, observe speed limits.
Do not drink and drive.
Pay full attention to the road – don’t use a cell phone to call or text.
Use caution in work zones.
Clean the vehicle’s lights and windows to help the driver see, especially at night. Turn the headlights on as dusk approaches, or during inclement weather.

FIREWORKS SAFETY The best way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public fireworks show put on by professionals. But if sparklers are part of your Independence Day tradition, here are five safety steps for people using novelty fireworks (the only fireworks which are legal for home use in the state of Ohio) at home:

Never give novelty fireworks to small children, and always follow the instructions on the packaging.
Keep a supply of water close by as a precaution.
Make sure the person lighting novelty fireworks always wears eye protection.
Light only one novelty firework at a time and never attempt to relight “a dud.”
Never throw or point a novelty firework toward people, animals, vehicles, structures or flammable materials.

GRILLING SAFETY Ah! The Red, White and Blue Backyard Barbecue!! But did you know that every year people are injured while using charcoal or gas grills? Here are five steps to safely cook up treats for your Independence Day feast:

Always supervise a barbecue grill when in use.
Never grill indoors – not in the house, camper, tent, or any enclosed area.
Make sure everyone, including the pets, stays away from the grill.
Keep the grill out in the open, away from the house, the deck, tree branches, or anything that could catch fire.
Use the long-handled tools especially made for cooking on the grill to keep the chef safe.

JUST IN CASE: WHY NOT BE SAFE AND DOWNLOAD THE FREE FIRST AID APP – The Red Cross has a free Red Cross First Aid App to put expert advice for everyday emergencies at their fingertips. The app is available for smart phones and tablets and can be downloaded from the Apple or Google Play for Android app stores.

Happy AND SAFE Fourth of July, everyone!

Everything You Need to Know in New All-in-One Red Cross Emergency App

Posted on April 16, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

The new, all-inclusive Emergency App from the American Red Cross provides people with instant access to emergency alerts, life-saving information, and ways to contact family and friends in one free, easy-to-use app for smart phones and tablets.

The Emergency App is a single ‘go-to’ source for everything from home fires to hurricanes. It includes content from a group of award-winning Red Cross apps with additional information about what to do in case of 14 different types of emergencies and disasters. Users can customize more than 35 emergency alerts based on their location and where loved ones live.

The app includes a new featured called “Family Safe” that allows the app user to notify loved ones who are in an area affected by an emergency or disaster. The recipient can instantly see the alert details as well as specific “what to do now” steps, and then respond with either “I’m safe” or “I’m not safe.” This feature works even if the recipient has not downloaded the Emergency App. In addition to smartphones and tablets, this feature will be available on the new Apple Watch and can be downloaded from the Apple Watch App Store starting April 24.

Other important features include:

Emergency first aid information for situations such as heart attacks, heat-related emergencies as well as water safety information;
Preloaded content so users can access guidance from Red Cross experts even without mobile connectivity;
A single map with open Red Cross shelter locations and weather information;
A home fire section with detailed prevention and safety tips as well as Red Cross “After the Fire” information;
“Make a Plan” feature to help families plan what to do and where to go if a disaster strikes; and
The ability to easily toggle between English and Spanish.

The app is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or by going to redcross.org/apps.

Red Cross apps have been downloaded more than 6 million times and nearly 400 million alerts have been sent since the launch of the first app in 2012. While apps can help prepare someone for disasters, it’s important to note that they are not substitutes for training. People can take Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED courses so they’ll know what to do in case help is delayed. They can get information and register at redcross.org/TakeAClass.

10 ways to stay safe during this latest round of cold temperatures

Posted on November 18, 2014 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

COLD WEATHER SAFETY TIPS

Here are ten ways to stay safe during this latest round of cold temperatures:

Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing body heat.

Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing body heat.
Know the signs of hypothermia – confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. If someone has these symptoms, they should get immediate medical attention.
Watch for symptoms of frostbite including numbness, flushed gray, white, blue or yellow skin discoloration, numbness or waxy feeling skin.
Bring the pets indoors. If that’s not possible, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm and that they can get to unfrozen water.
Avoid frozen pipes – run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent them from freezing. Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night to help avoid freezing pipes.
Do not use a stove or oven to heat the home.
Space heaters should sit on a level, hard surface and anything flammable should be kept at least three feet away.
If using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.
Learn how to treat cold weather related emergencies by downloading the free Red Cross First Aid App at redcross.org/apps. More information about winter safety is available on redcross.org.

NOHredcross

American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Region

Tag Archives: Fire Safety