0109 Newsletter

January 2009 Volume 1, Issue 5

American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, 441 East 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202

www.redcross-indy.org

317-684-1441

A Year-End Message from CEO John Lyter

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o each of you—great Red Cross supporters all,

More than 2,500 people took Red Cross courses every month from our online service.

While many of us are treated to and enjoy the famous Irving Almost 1,400 people volunteered this year and are being trained as the Berlin lyrics of “White Christmas” this season, there is another song that Mr. Berlin penned for the America Red Cross in 1941, “Angels of next generation of caring disaster response volunteers. Mercy”. Being there for national disasters: Angels of mercy, there’s so much to do Dozens of your neighbors traveled to disaster hot spots this past year The heavens are gray overhead to help people victimized by hurricanes Gustav and Ike, as well as Angels of mercy, they’re calling to you other national emergencies. So march with your crosses of red March where the darkness shuts out the light March where there is no dawn Angels of mercy, the world’s covered with night But your mercy goes marching on Angels of mercy thru darkest night Your mercy goes marching on

Reuniting families: Volunteers in our Call Center and at Camp Atterbury helped people during disasters and during military deployments, assuring that they received Red Cross services and were able to make the important connections with family—alleviating some of the crisis caused by separation. Serving members of our military and their families:

Things looked very dark 67 years ago in wartime America. Today, the times are also challenging as we say goodbye to 2008. But thanks to you—latter day angels of mercy—we’re able to continue meeting our mission. Nearly 700 Central Indiana families needed the Red Cross to provide food, clothing, and shelter last year when fires pushed them from the comfort of their homes. We were able to assist over 1,600 Central Indiana families during the tornadoes in May, and June floods. Over the weekend of December 19th, the longest and coldest nights of 2008, Red Cross volunteers left the warmth of their homes to help four families burned out of theirs and prepared to shelter countless others across the state as the weather caused multiple power outages. Your support helped over 2,000 local volunteers deliver on the Red Cross promise—shelter, food, clothing, and lifesaving skills “when the heavens are gray overhead.” Here are just a few highlights: Responding to emergencies: In fiscal year 2008, your Red Cross helped people after 665 local disasters Preparing for emergencies: We trained more than 78,000 people in first aid, CPR, and aquatics.

Your Red Cross provided emergency-related services to more than 5,600 military personnel and their families. As true angels of mercy, we helped five families that lost a loved one in hostilities while serving our country. In all, one in three Central Indiana households received direct services from our Red Cross. So as we face the many challenges in the New Year, I’m confident that as a team, we will be there again to help people when they most need us. Some have compared these times to the Great Depression. Well, recall what President Franklin Roosevelt had to say to the Red Cross delegates at our 1939 national convention: “The spirit of the Red Cross does not wane… Yes, the task before us is enormous. Our work, by reason of its very nature, is never done. Our work can never be done while human misery exists.” And President Roosevelt concluded his speech with this: “That work must go bravely on. You are carrying out, and you are improving on, a great tradition.” Thank you, angels of mercy—enjoy a safe and peaceful holiday.

Emergency Services Newsletter

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From the FBCI Corner....

DSHR News by Kadi Best

By Jillian Luttrell

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easons Greetings from the FBCI!!! We have had a very exciting December so far, both in and out of the office. We started out the month by training Shelbyville Community Church. We would like to give them a hearty welcome to the FBCI! 36 members of SCC braved the snow and ice to come out to training the afternoon of December 6. They were very energized and full of great ideas. Justin and I both look forward to working with SCC and are so excited to have our first FBCI partner in Shelby County! We also want to give a big thank you to Sandra Hall and Scott Brunner at SCC for helping us to coordinate training and being great hosts. Without them, we would not have this partnership. Thank you, SCC, for joining our program! SCC’s training also marked the introduction of our new FBCI trainer: Steve Wolfe! Steve has been a volunteer at ARCGI since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and he has been very active in the chapter ever since. He has served as a shelter manager, is currently the leader of the Mobile Feeding Response Team, and is a regular instructor in Mass Care and Shelter classes. We look forward to working more with Steve, and we are thrilled to have such a great addition to our FBCI team. In last month’s newsletter, we mentioned developing relationships with other FBCI partners and suggested sharing ideas with each other as a way to stay energized and to become aware of additional community resources. To support this, Justin and I have created a FBCI Blog. This blog is a place where not only we, as FBCI coordinators, can post updates, photos, and videos about the program, but also where you, as FBCI partners, can share ideas, post activities, and make announcements that you think will be of interest to the rest of the FBCI partners. We encourage you to take advantage of this tool and begin exchanging ideas with each other! To visit the blog, go to www.rcfbci.blogspot.com. The first post contains instructions for becoming a contributor. We hope you will find it a useful tool for getting to know your fellow FBCI partners and also staying engaged in the program.

Often we are asked, “What is DSHR?” DSHR is short for Disaster Services Human Resources. It is the database in which volunteers who are willing to travel to serve on disasters are tracked. There are three DSHR levels. •

Local—willing to serve within the chapter’s jurisdiction.

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State/Region—willing to serve anywhere within the state of Indiana or our region, which covers the states surrounding us, with travel most likely by car.

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National—willing to serve anywhere in the country or our territories with travel by airplane.

For both State/Region and National there is a time commitment required depending on the scope of the disaster. It could be 15 days or 3 weeks, and all expenses—travel, housing (be it a shared hotel room or staff shelter), and meals are covered by the American Red Cross. MEMBERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED. As you may have seen on the news over the past few years, disasters are not only occurring more frequently, but they also stronger and covering wider areas. Being a member of the DSHR, you not only get to serve more people, you also get the opportunity to meet other volunteers from all over the country. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a member and what it is like going out on a disaster, please contact Kadi Best at [email protected] or call (317) 684-4321. One more item—a big THANK YOU to Cindi Moon for reviewing all of the Health Status forms!!!!

Emergency Services Newsletter

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The 13 Days of DAT by

Teresa Cummings

On the first day of December, my computer said to me: the DAT team’s ready for a fire. On the second day of December, my e-mail said to me: change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire. On the third day of December, Jerome called to say: we’re heading out of town, change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire. On the fourth day of December, the Monday Team chimed in: we still have schedule holes, we’re heading out of town, change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire. On the fifth day of December, the schedule’s incomplete: WE NEED MORE TIME!, we still have schedule holes, we’re heading out of town, change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire. On the sixth day of December, Ann Gregson said to me: switch around the PA Team, WE NEED MORE TIME!, we still have schedule holes, we’re heading out of town, change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire. On the seventh day of Dec, Marylynne said to me: Trade me with Mary Clifford, switch around the PA Team, WE NEED MORE TIME!, we still have schedule holes, we’re heading out of town, change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire.

By the middle of December, the flu is going ‘round, the snow is getting deep, trade me with Mary Clifford, switch around the PA Team, WE NEED MORE TIME!, we still have schedule holes, we’re heading out of town, change this phone number. and the DAT team’s ready for a fire By the third week of December, the ERV’s battery is dead, flu is going ‘round, the snow is getting deep, trade me with Mary Clifford, switch around the PA Team, WE NEED MORE TIME!, we still have schedule holes, we’re heading out of town, change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire. By December 22nd, we’ve all gone Christmas shopping, the ERV’s battery is dead, flu is going ‘round, the snow is getting deeper, trade me with Mary Clifford, switch around the PA Team, WE NEED MORE TIME!, we still have schedule holes, we’re heading out of town, change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire. By the time we get past Christmas, the January schedule’s overdue, we’ve all gone Christmas shopping, the ERV’s battery is dead, flu is going ‘round, the snow is 3 feet deep, trade me with Mary Clifford, switch around the PA Team, WE NEED MORE TIME!, we still have schedule holes, we’re heading out of town, change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire.

On New Year’s Eve morning, that eggnog’s really good! January schedule’s overdue, we’ve all gone Christmas shopping, the ERV’s battery is dead, flu is going ‘round, the snow has turned to flood, trade me with Mary Clifford, switch around the PA Team, WE By the second week of December, the snow begins to fall, trade me NEED MORE TIME!, we still have schedule holes, we’re heading with Mary Clifford, switch around the PA Team, WE NEED MORE out of town, change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready TIME!, we still have schedule holes, we’re heading out of town, for a fire. change this phone number, and the DAT team’s ready for a fire.

Emergency Services Newsletter

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Volunteer Spotlight: Carl Bischoff By Adam Ansari & Kate Ayers

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his month we decided to spotlight a volunteer who has been volunteering with the Red Cross since the late 1960s. Many of you have probably met this individual in a class, in the office, or in an emergency service setting. His name is Carl Bischoff. Carl is a jack-of-all trades in the Red Cross. He is regularly involved as a Disaster Action Team (DAT) member, and he serves as the Mobile Feeding Response Team (MFRT) leader in Hamilton County. When he’s not responding to disasters, Carl comes to the office to help with Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) casework, take new MFRT volunteers on driving tests, and volunteer in the Transportation department, driving clients to medical appointments. We sat down with Carl this week and asked him a few questions. We hope that you learn more about Carl and are encouraged in your own Red Cross service. ES Newsletter: So Carl, how did you get involved with the Red Cross? Carl: I actually got involved with the Red Cross through my wife. Back then we were living in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and my wife thought it would be a wonderful experience to start volunteering. So I said why not. At first, we were only involved with first aid and local disasters, but as time went by, we got involved in several different areas of the chapter. It was a very active chapter. We actually made our own ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle); the national ERV didn’t have everything we wanted. I came to the Indianapolis Chapter in 2002. Volunteering did have its ups and down, but the Red Cross always stayed true to its practices. ES: What do you like most about volunteering for the Red Cross? Carl: Just being able to help people who need help. In every area there is someone that is going to need assistance, and I just like being there for them. You hear and see all sorts of things: mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. All of them may need your help at any given moment and when the unexpected happens, it is our job to help those who need it. Also, when you

ARCGI Emergency Services Newsletter Published by ur Disaster Volunteer Newsletter Team Jenny Davidson and Brian Thomason

serve through the Red Cross, people know that your help is genuine. ES: What do you do when you are not volunteering? Carl: I am volunteering. Ha-ha, I help out with my family a lot. ES: What is one of your most memorable experiences with volunteering at the Red Cross? Carl: Hmm. There are so many. I think a couple of years ago over on Route 40 there was a large mulch fire that was blazing over several acres. The firefighters had been on the scene for hours trying to contain the fire. I arrived as part of the mobile feeding team to distribute water and food to the firefighters. And when we got there, you know what they did? They actually began thanking us! We all got so much gratification out of the fact that these men, who were completely exhausted, were truly thankful for our presence there that day. It was wonderful helping individuals who had been working so hard to help others. It made me see the grand scheme of things a lot clearer. ES: If you had a life motto what would it be? Carl: Do what you can. Whether it is a little or a lot, do what you can. ES: Wow, great motto. Alright, if you could meet any historical figure who would it be? Carl: Mozart. I love classical music; the beauty, the temperament, everything. It brings you to a world you can only dream of, but somehow when you are listening to Mozart he is able to bring you there. ES: If you could give one piece of advice to new volunteers, what would it be? Carl: Be flexible and be open to different ideas and suggestions. Also, don’t be afraid to share your thoughts because your ideas really do matter. Thank you, Carl, for your dedication and excellent service to the Red Cross!

Henry County DAT News Please welcome Tammy Sanders to the Henry County DAT team.

Emergency Services Newsletter

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Interested in Disaster Assessment? By Lin Lopez (DA)

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he Disaster Assessment function can use a lot of people. folks, for a short time. The more folks we can get into the field, the shorter the time commitment. At the beginning of a disaster, normally a staff manager, like We need someone to enforce standards for Detailed and Area Chris Gilbert, for example, receives high-level information assessment forms, so our product will be useful to Client Serfrom the affected county's Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Often, Chris will provide a rough map of the affected vices and chapter management. This person checks the street sheets for accuracy and completeness when the teams return area. and before the DA volunteers go home or into another funcHowever, Disaster Assessment (DA) volunteers call up volun- tion. teers to line them up for preliminary and detailed assessment. We need someone to sort and organize the detailed street Then, we need to prepare maps for those who will drive the routes, and we will be called upon to deliver the same sort of sheets and to copy these for use by Client Services. Then we need someone to roll up the counts into the Summary Assessmaps to ERV drivers and Outreach volunteers. ment form and provide a daily summary of progress. This We need someone to talk with those returning from Outreach person also gets to write a BRIEF summary of the day's acand Mass Care routes, making good notes and maps that sum- complishments for the daily Situation Report (SitRep). marize the feedback from these personnel. We need someone On occasion, prospective clients visit our service center, shelto assure a good supply of forms, clipboards, black pens, maps, markers, and communications for our assessors. These ter, or chapter for assistance, but their address has not been assessed. When Client Services requests an assessment of a people may need to make a “supply run” to the assessors in single address (or “hot shot”), the first person called upon to the field to keep them from getting behind due to lack of check up on this is a DA volunteer. Also, the first choice for forms. a person to enter the addresses into CAS is a DA volunteer. We need someone to act as a central contact to assure all the In a prolonged event, DA volunteers are responsible for keepvolunteers are in known locations and adequately supplied. ing up and reporting on significant weather, river, and road This person often sets up the assessment teams, collects and circulates contact information, and provides a quick refresher conditions. Sometimes, this involves making new maps. It is also useful to keep a map of progress for which areas are of the rules of filling out the forms. This person is also required to stay in touch with the teams every hour or two dur- 100% and which areas are still “working.” ing the day. There is work for DA volunteers before (preparation), during (getting volunteers), and after (assessments) the disaster. This We need someone to summarize verbal reports, results from telephone calls, and other intelligence into maps and summa- is why we offer the DA classes frequently. In all of these tasks, many of the DA volunteers can finish this function and ries that can be understood easily. In our last large disaster, then move on to other activities. we gathered a wealth of notes from phone calls, but we did not have the manpower to turn these into reports or maps that Once in a while, I bump into a volunteer who says, “They were easy to use. never call me.” We'll call on you if you want to do Disaster Assessment. We need drivers, communicators, and people who can write quickly and legibly in a bouncing car. We need lots of those

The Face Behind the Newsletter Every month Jennifer Davidson, volunteer, is working behind the scenes to compile the articles submitted for the ES Newsletter. Jennifer's experience with "Publisher" enables her to create a professional, wellformatted publication. Jennifer is assisted each month by volunteer, Brian Thomason.

Have a Submission for the Newsletter? Send to [email protected]