0309 Newsletter

March 2009 Volume 1, Issue 7

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

President Obama Signs 2009 Proclamation Naming March "Red Cross Month" (article from redcross.org)

WASHINGTON, Friday, February 27, 2009 — March has officially been declared Red Cross Month by order of a Presidential Proclamation signed by President Barack Obama today, marking the 66th time the month of March has been celebrated in honor of the organization. The proclamation reads, in part: The Red Cross has continued to serve those suffering from large- and small-scale disasters. The organization is best known for its work helping communities deal with major disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. These large-scale disasters represent a major part of the work of the American Red Cross. Just as important are the tens of thousands of smallscale disasters that occur every day in communities nationwide, and the volunteers who respond to them. These efforts include supporting our military and their families, collecting and distributing blood, helping the needy, delivering health and safety education, and providing aid abroad.

www.redcross-indy.org

317-684-1441

Madison County DAT News By Kate Ayers

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he Red Cross has been busy in Madison County, as we have unfortunately been experiencing a great number of fires. In the 2008 calendar year, Red Cross volunteers responded to 69 fires (including one apartment fire) and assisted 250 people. We are very grateful for our wonderful volunteers, and so is the Anderson fire department. “When we have house fires, we call for the Red Cross, and they’re there,” said David Clendenen, Fire Chief at the Anderson Fire Department. “The Red Cross shows up at the fire scene quickly. It’s very helpful for us because we have a lot of things going on. When the Red Cross rolls in, we know the family will be taken care of.” On February 26, nine Madison County DATs attended a meeting at the Madison County Service Center. Zach Wright spoke to DATs about procedures and paperwork, and everyone discussed scenarios. Thanks to everyone for a successful meeting!

March has been known as Red Cross Month across the country since 1943, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued the declaration in support of Red Cross efforts to raise funds for World War II services. In honor of Red Cross Month, the Red Cross will launch the first-ever national Change a Life contest. The contest will run from March 2-16, 2009. The public is invited to visit RedCross.org and tell us how a Red Cross experience changed their life or someone else's life. The grand prize winner will win a two-night trip for two to Washington D.C. to join Keith Urban and his band on August 20th as they play their Escape Together World Tour concert. The package includes backstage passes and a tour of the National American Red Cross Disaster Operations Center. The second place winner will receive a 52” Philips HD LCD television, DVD player and a library of Red Cross preparedness and safety DVDs.

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

Emergency Services Newsletter

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Greetings from the FBCI Corner…

DSHR News

By Jillian Luttrell and Justin Gray

By Kadi Best

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ebruary has been a busy “planning month” here at the FBCI office. We look forward to a very exciting and fast-paced spring full of trainings, mock disaster drills, and presentations about our program. Many of our partners have been in the program several months now and are holding meetings and organizing their Action Teams. During a disaster response, the Action Team will most likely arrive at the facility before the Red Cross does, so it is important to have at least one person who can organize the team members and make sure they prepare the facility appropriately. This person is the Action Team Leader. Shelter preparations may include posting Red Cross identification inside and outside of the facility, setting up the Registration Area, and working with Feeding and Sleeping to establish their areas. The Action Team Leader should stay well informed about shelter activities so that he or she can communicate this information to the shelter manager and other supervisors. He or she also acts as the central contact between the team and the Red Cross to ensure effective and clear communications. Although major disasters in our area are rare, last summer’s floods are a good lesson that it is always better to be prepared: choosing the Action Team Leader is no exception! In non-disaster times, having an Action Team Leader is still important to the construction and organization of the team. The Action Team Leader maintains and updates team members’ contact information regularly and can keep the organization’s leadership up-to-date on team developments and activities.

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e would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to those of you who traveled to Kentucky and Arkansas for the response to the ice storm. The affected chapters have expressed their thanks for the professionalism of our volunteers. GOOD JOB TEAM!! We are planning our spring DSHR meeting; however, the date has not yet been set. Please be on the lookout for an announcement coming via email and the next newsletter. Email is our most cost-effective way of staying in touch with you. To ensure you are getting emails from the Greater Indianapolis chapter, please make sure your spam filters are not blocking them. In addition, it is a good idea to reply with a “got it.” Finally, please take time to update your availability in the DSHR system.

THANK YOU FOR BEING RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS!!!

ARCGI Emergency Services Newsletter

Be sure to check out the FBCI blog! www.rcfbci.blogspot.com. We update it regularly with events at the Red Cross, opportunities to get involved, and tips for the Action Teams!

Published by our Emergency Services Volunteer Newsletter Team Jenny Davidson and ES Staff

Emergency Services Newsletter

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Volunteer Spotlight: Don Billey by Kate Ayers

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olunteering for the Red Cross is more than a way to fill spare time. Of course, some spare time is needed, but our best and most dedicated volunteers are those who know what kind of difference they can make through the Red Cross. They have a vision for their community and want to be there to help people after a disaster. Some volunteers come to the Red Cross with interest, but do not know yet how they will help. Fortunately for the Red Cross, many of these volunteers develop a vision over time and become an integral part of our disaster response. Other volunteers, like Don Billey, come to volunteer with the Red Cross because they see the need and already have a vision for their community.

was only one, or sometimes no, people here in Madison County who were Disaster Action Team volunteers. So, we talked about that, and there were several of us who committed to the idea that there really needed to be some people here, and felt that we could and should take that on ourselves and try to recruit other people. It wasn’t an intentional decision at first, until we were aware of the need, and I think once we were aware the decision became intentional.

Don began volunteering in October 2008 when the great need for Madison County Red Cross volunteers became clear to him. With only about four months of being a Disaster Action Team member, Don has already responded to numerous fires. Joyce Armour, the Red Cross caseworker who most often works on Madison County cases after DAT members do the initial casework, has worked closely with Don. According to Joyce, Don is making an obvious impact in his community. “I’ve never met Don; I’ve only talked to him on the phone. He seems very compassionate. In addition to being a volunteer, he is a police chaplain. He did a very good job when he dealt with the family that lost children. He is very thorough and keeps me updated. He is my eyes and ears in Madison County.”

Don: October was when I was activated.

Speaking with Don about his volunteer experience is inspiring, and his words and example will renew your enthusiasm and remind us all of why we are Red Cross volunteers.

ES: So, you were roped into it a little bit? Don: It sounds like it, but it was a gentle roping. It was just an exposure to the need. The need has been tremendous just since I’ve been on. There were seven house fires in January. My personal experiences have reinforced the need to have that emergency response available from right here. ES: When did you start volunteering?

ES: You’ve responded to how many fires? Don: I’ve responded to four fires. Two were apartments; one was more of a rooming house, but there were multiple cases on each fire. Two were single family homes. But, they weren’t really single families, they were both multi-generational homes. Grandparents, parents, and children were there. So, even though they were single family homes, they involved a lot of people. ES: What do you like most about volunteering for the Red Cross?

Don: That’s an easy and a hard question to answer. It’s hard because what I like most is the hardest thing, and that’s being with people at the time of the fire, being able to offer comfort, care, and hope; to see the look on their faces when we give ES Newsletter: Why did you decide to volunteer for the Red them assistance. When they receive a CAC card and it helps Cross? them to begin to replace some of the things they’ve lost. To Don: That’s a little bit of a hard question to answer, because I get them away from the fire scene and help them find shelter. don’t know that I planned to volunteer with the Red Cross Those are key ingredients to what we do. One of the moments when all of this started. I don’t think that was in mind. that sticks out in my mind is a mother who was in her twenties. She was covered in smoke and soot and still in her pajamas with tears running down her face. She cried when we ES: Oh. said, “Here’s what we can do, here’s how you can get started.” It was a different kind of cry. It wasn’t sadness; it Don: What came about was the Police Department Chapwas a cry that said, “I can’t believe someone’s going to help laincy Program was involved in putting together a county me.” That is very rewarding, to be able to help people at a emergency response plan, which was a partnership with the Red Cross for sheltering, and to be a part of that, we had to go moment of crisis. through the Mass Care and Shelter classes. I think that’s what opened my eyes to the need here in Madison County. There (cont. on page 4)

Emergency Services Newsletter

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(Volunteer Spotlight—cont. from page 3)

ES: It sounds like you’ve already had some good experiences with the Red Cross. Don: Some good things, and some very devastating things. I was at the fire where two children were killed, and that was very difficult. I was there as a chaplain and I changed hats and worked it as Red Cross as well. It gave the family confidence that there were people in the area to help. ES: What is your most memorable experience as a volunteer? Don: One that stands out is the first call, which was an apartment fire. That came as a chaplain call. I opened the fellowship hall at the church so the Red Cross could come and conduct interviews, and the city bus brought the victims. The Red Cross DAT member came, and it was his first fire also. There were about eight cases to do. He said, “Do you have your book, can you help?” I wasn’t prepared to help, but I was trained and I knew my time was coming. Each [DAT call] has created memories of different type, but the first one was the one that said “this is real.” ES: What would you tell someone who was thinking about volunteering for the Red Cross? Don: What I would tell them is to be prepared to see and hear things that will be very difficult. Be prepared to cry and laugh. Be prepared to do things you didn’t know you would be able to do. Be prepared to feel very rewarded for what you are about to get into. ES: What benefits or rewards do you receive through volunteering?

ES: What is your favorite thing to do besides volunteering? Don: Depends on the time of the year. In the summer, it’s absolutely riding my motorcycle. I do a lot of things. I’m a student, I’m a pastor, I’m a father and a grandfather, I’m a technology geek. There’s a wide variety of interests, but especially on a summer or a fall day, there’s nothing I enjoy more than getting on a motorcycle. ES: What is your favorite book or movie? Don: My favorite book is not Post-Colonial Feminist Interpretation to the Bible. ES: Ha-ha. That’s not in your top 10? Don: No, not in my top 10. It’s a text book I’m in the middle of right now. I love Tom Clancy for escape reading. His novels are great. He kind of crosses the line between fiction and fact. He’s an excellent writer. He really knows how to weave and craft together a story. My favorite movie is probably Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid. I did like Paul Blart: Mall Cop, by the way. ES: Those are all of the questions I have for you. Would you like to add anything? Don: I just want to encourage people to keep doing what they do. Sometimes it’s frustrating sometimes it’s tiring, but I think that the rewards outweigh the difficulties and the frustrations. For me personally, the satisfaction is in being able to meet someone at their point of need and offer hope. That’s a great thing to be able to do.

Don: I think the biggest is the satisfaction of knowing that someone is helped. One of the rewards is to be able to instantly help people. The day of the fire or the night of the fire, they Thank you, Don, for your wonderful can have shelter and food and the ability to begin to go back to involvement in the Red Cross in Madison County! a “normal” life.

Johnson County Volunteer Fairs By Stefanie Davis

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e are looking for at least four more volunteers to represent the Red Cross and recruit volunteers at various fairs in Johnson County.

The Johnson County Community Foundation has organized four volunteer fairs throughout Johnson County. The fairs are being held for agencies like the Red Cross to recruit new volunteers, and for individuals wanting to learn more about local organizations and the volunteer opportunities that each has available. Prospective volunteers will be able to speak with representatives from each agency, learn more about the organizations, find out what kinds of volunteers they are looking for, and sign up to volunteer. Here are the dates and locations: • March 7th from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Old National Bank in Greenwood on S.R. 135 across from the Super Target. • March 21st from 10 AM to 2 PM at Scott Hall on the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Franklin. • April 18th from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Edinburgh Parks Community Center. • April 25th from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Greenwood Public Library. Drawings for door prizes will take place each hour at each of the four volunteer fairs. If you are interested in assisting with one of these fairs, please contact Stefanie at the Johnson County Service Center at (317) 736-0650 to sign up.

Emergency Services Newsletter

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Upcoming Disaster Training NEW DA Basics―Tuesday, March 24 ― 6 to 10 PM Whether you are a new or a long-time volunteer, you should consider taking this new disaster assessment course. Disaster assessment must be performed immediately following a disaster and is a vital activity of a disaster relief operation. Being part of a disaster assessment team will still allow you to perform other activities once the disaster assessment is complete. Disaster Assessment Basics… Provides a practical understanding of how to assist in the collection of impact, damage, and weather information in order to support the decision making process on a disaster relief operation that starts in the chapter’s jurisdiction. Prerequisite: Fulfilling Our Mission

NEW Disaster Frontline Supervision and Simulation―Monday, April 6 and Wednesday, April 8 ― 6 to 10 PM Become part of the disaster relief leadership team! Use your life skills and talents and help lead the relief effort. This course is a prerequisite to many intermediate and advanced courses. Disaster Frontline Supervision replaces Supervision in Disaster and SODA. It is NOT required to retrain if you have already had one of these courses. Disaster Frontline Supervision… The purpose of this course is to prepare supervisors to lead a team of disaster workers to deliver high quality client service and to create a climate that promotes worker satisfaction. Prerequisite: Applicants should have the training and experience equivalent to a Service Associate in an activity in which she or he expects to become a supervisor. Disaster Frontline Supervision Simulation… The purpose of the simulation is to provide participants an opportunity to practice their supervisory knowledge and skills in leading teams that deliver high quality service and to create a climate that promotes worker satisfaction. Prerequisite: Applicants should have the training and experience equivalent to a Service Associate in an activity in which she or he expects to become a supervisor.

MASS CARE II―Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 ― 9 to 5 PM Move up the ladder!!!! If your skills and interest are in the mass care arena, this advanced course will help you to become a leader in the feeding, sheltering, and bulk distribution activities. Mass Care II prepares Red Cross workers to establish, operate, and phase out Mass Care services on a multi-chapter or national disaster relief operation so that client needs are met in a timely and cost-effective manner. Prerequisites: Mass Care Overview, Shelter Operations and Shelter Simulation, Supervision on Disaster Assignment OR Disaster Frontline Supervision and Simulation, and have experience in the Mass Care on a disaster relief operation Form 5898h (Application for Training) must be submitted to the Emergency Services Dept. All prerequisites must be listed on form 5898h.

Emergency Services Newsletter

Red Cross Links and Resources President Obama’s official proclamation of Red Cross Month http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/pdf/09MRCMPresProclamation.pdf

Tornado safety information from the Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/outlook/wxready/articles/id-56?from=hp_news

You can find plenty of interesting topics on the national website http://www.redcross.org

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