Children’s Playroom Reduced to Ash: Early Detection of Smoke Could Save Your Home and Lives

The first thing Michael Green heard wasn’t a smoke alarm; it was his daughter Jasmine rushing downstairs to tell him her room was full of smoke. Faulty wiring started the fire, which slowly filled the walls with smoke while Jasmine and her friend played with toys.

“I’m still in shock, but I knew I had to keep my cool and do what was best for my family,” said Michael as he wiped away sweat from his forehead with a paper towel.

As soon as Michael realized there was a fire upstairs, he rushed both children outside, where he could now see flames climbing up the walls of his house. Michael called 9-1-1 and cut off the power, but it was too late to save the second floor of his recently-remodeled home.

By the time the American Red Cross arrived, the entire upstairs was in ruins. Toys, videogames and DVDs were covered with ash, and the family’s new puppy wandered around sniffing at the charred remains. Jasmine’s bedroom had holes ripped out of the walls and ceiling; even her Mickey Mouse pillows were smeared with soot.

Michael’s wife Adrianne sat with Jasmine in silence, both of them dripping in sweat from the boiling heat. Adrianne’s face was like stone as she sat in shock, holding her daughter by her side. Adrianne received a call at work and rushed home to find half her home had been scorched by fire. Her hands shook as she accepted a bottle of water from Michelle, a Red Cross disaster relief worker. Michelle explained to Adrianne how the American Red Cross could help her family through this difficult time. Due to the severity of the fire the Red Cross would be able to provide the Green family with financial assistance, shelter, toiletries, clothing, food and water.

Sixty-five percent of fire related deaths happen in homes without working fire alarms. Smoke alarms provide a few minutes of advance warning in the event of a home fire, and that extra time can save lives. It is important for all homeowners to follow these safety tips:

•Install smoke alarms in every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
•Test fire alarms once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year.
•Talk to all family members, especially children, about a fire escape plan.
•Practice the escape plan twice a year, if not more.

Michael and Adrianne were grateful that their family made it out safely, realizing how fortunate they were to only lose possessions. The American Red Cross of the Greater Chicago Region encourages every family to be prepared for fire disasters. More information about how to be prepared, including safety tips, are available on the Chicago Red Cross website http://www.blogger.com/www.chicagoredcross.org.


Written by: Joshua Enright Gleason

Memories Linger

Pictures. There is nothing I have found to be more precious to people than documented memories of adventures, weddings, vacations, birthdays, and various special occasions. When a fire engulfs a home these little treasures can be lost forever. On a drizzling day in Chicago, the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” rang true for me.

One Friday morning the disaster response team and I strapped on our American Red Cross vests and arrived at the home of Omar, a young soft spoken father of two. The fire, which had started and was contained to the attic, had been put out by the firemen. While the fire marshals secured the premises, the Red Cross provided comfort to the family and listened to their story.

“I saw the fire; I grabbed and carried my granddaughters out of the home. In just a couple of minutes the firemen came, I did not call them a man driving down the street stopped his car and called the firemen,” stated Omar’s mom.

Omar said, “I saw the firemen and I ran to the house to make sure that my mom and daughters where ok. Thankfully my mom had grabbed the girls and got out of the house as soon as she saw the fire.”

After speaking to Omar and his mom, the fire marshal let the family and the Red Cross know that it was safe to enter the home and asses the damage from the fire. This was my first time going into a home along with the family. When Omar and his family first saw the fire damage their expression turned from shock to that of sadness and loss, and left me breathless. The flames had scorched the entire content of the attic. The main floor was in disarray and flooding rapidly from the ventilation holes that the firemen created on the roof.

As I walked through the flooded home, I saw pictures lining the walls of the living room, dining room and bedrooms. I gazed upon Omar’s family photos as they silently told me the story of their life. I became a part of their birthday celebrations, graduations, family cook-outs, weddings and quinceañeras. I began to feel their sadness and their loss and I connected with the family on a deeper level. Now I view a fires aftermath with new eyes and this has strengthened my commitment to the Red Cross mission.

Pictures tell us so much about a person and a family. They showcase their essence and allow us to share in their memories and life. Omar and his family were happy to see that these treasures where not damaged by the fire and expressed their gratitude to the Red Cross for helping.

Today, with a single click, you can join a movement on Facebook to honor those who aren’t so lucky.

Visit every80seconds.com and get a glimpse of what it’s like to lose your most precious memories. At the end of your visit, all of your photos will be fully recovered. Make a donation for every photo you can’t imagine life without.

What's In A Name?

We have seen the baby name books while waiting at the checkout line of our favorite grocery store, and are shocked to see that it is over a hundred pages. I can only imagine the struggle and parents’ indecisiveness of choosing a name that will embody this new life. I began to wonder if the process to name a hurricane is this intricate.

Growing up, I loved watching the weather report during hurricane season, I still do. I finally asked myself, why. Why would a girl from the Midwest, who has never been at risk of experiencing a hurricane, be so captivated by them? The odds are greater for me to be stranded by a blizzard, lose my home to a fire, tornado, or earthquake, than be in a hurricane. Nevertheless, hurricanes are the ones that capture my attention and keep me glued to my T.V. monitoring their most recent activity. Knowing their name brought them to life.

Who started to name them?

For hundreds of years, people from the West Indies named hurricanes after saints. They had a very simple approach to naming these untamable storms, a hurricane struck land, a calendar was pulled and consulted to find the day's saint and presto they had a hurricane name. Things started to get murky in the 1900’s, when people started to create a standard naming system for hurricanes. The first idea was to name them after their longitude-latitude position, but that failed for it made communication difficult. Throughout the years many have tried to devise their own naming systems but they all proved to have their drawbacks, until the World Meteorological Organization took control of the naming process.

The World Meteorological Organization, which is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, meets and draws up a list of names A-Z, excluding Q, U, X, Y, and Z, names starting with these letters are scarce. The WMO realized that hurricanes strike and are followed by many countries, so they expanded the list to contain names from the English, French, Spanish, and Dutch language. Like peoples’ names, hurricanes names are reused and recycled, unless one creates mass devastation, then the name is retired.

Curious to know if you share the name of an up-coming hurricane? I was. 2015 will be the year of Erika. It is not the exact spelling of my name, but I will take it. I am looking forward to see the changing personality of the hurricane that shares my name. Whether it will be temperamental or mellow, I hope that it is not destructive.

The Chicago land area may not be struck by a hurricane, but the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago dispatches volunteers to help those affected by hurricanes. When Hurricane Katrina unleashed her fury on Louisiana the Red Cross mobilized volunteers throughout the nation and provided disaster relief. Over 7,000 people affected by Hurricane Katrina sought refuge in Chicago and the Chicago Red Cross provided them with mental health services, food, and shelter. Hurricanes may not affect us directly, but their aftermath impacts us.

During this hurricane season listen to the weather reports and tract their dynamic personalities.

If you are planning to vacation to a location that is prone to hurricanes visit: http://www.redcross.org/. Be Prepared.

“Taste”ful Ways to be Safe at the World’s Largest Food Festival

The long-awaited Taste of Chicago officially starts today at 11 a.m. and will run through July 3 in Grant Park. The “Taste”, as many refer to it, offers its’ guests a wide array of delicious cuisine from Chicago’s many dining establishments.

Countless people will make the venture to Grant Park to check out what this year’s Taste has in store. With various foods from hot chicken wings to zesty pizza bites, it will be near impossible to leave without your stomach bursting at the seams. It may be hard to imagine anything other than good times and great eats, but it is important to keep in mind that emergencies can still happen.

Here are a few situations to consider as you enjoy the Taste this year:

- Choking: Food or small objects can cause choking if they get caught in your throat and block your airway while you’re walking around and eating. Knowing how to perform CPR on adults, infants, and children under 12 can help you dislodge any foreign object if needed. Sign up for a Red Cross CPR class.

- Heat Exhaustion: Drink plenty of fluids! Avoid alcohol and caffeine, if possible, which can dehydrate the body. Be prepared for heat exhaustion by knowing how to prevent and treat the symptoms. Also, don’t forget to read our do’s and don’ts of heat wave safety.

- Commuter travel: Whether you are traveling via car, bus or train it is essential to be ready for an unexpected emergency. Planning is a crucial first step toward a calm and effective response. Read our commuter safety tips and plan ahead.

As you enjoy various musical acts and unlimited fare at the Taste of Chicago this week, remember to be informed and ready in case you experience a sudden crisis. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago offers a variety of First Aid/CPR/AED courses for adults, children and infants and safety tips that can help you prepare for any emergency this summer. Please visit http://www.chicagoredcross.org/ for more information.


Written by Hannah Segall, Marketing and Communications Intern

Photo by FreeFlighto46/Flickr

Timber: June Showers Topples Tree

A severe thunderstorm touched the City of Chicago on the early hours of June 9, 2011. The sky was illuminated by the blue of lightning and the earth shook from the vibrations of the thunder. Many people in the Chicago area did not sleep for worry that their homes might flood.

Janice Davis, resident of Dolton, Ill., placed her mother Janet and grandchildren to sleep and closed her eyes for the night, flooding was not a concern. At 4 a.m. she was suddenly shaken awake by a loud bang. Janice ran quickly to her mother’s room for she feared lighting had struck the home. After making sure that her mother and children were safe, she peeked out the window and to her shock saw that the tree had split in half and was hanging from her roof.

The collapsed tree pulled the electric lines and cracked the foundation, leaving the home without electricity.

Janice stated, “Being without electricity and my mom, who suffers from seizure and needs a respiratory aid, scared me half to death.” Janice tried to call friends and family for help without success.

“Before you guys came, I did not know who was going to help us,” Janice told Red Cross responders. The Red Cross provided the family with the security of knowing that they would have a place to rest, plug in the respiratory aid, store medications, and think about taking their next step.

Janice and her family were caught unprepared and without a plan. During disastrous weather, expected or unexpected, it’s key to be prepared. The Red Cross urges families to make a kit that includes some the following:

• Water—at least a 3¬-day supply; one gallon per person per day
• Food—at least a 3-¬day supply of non-¬perishable, easy-¬to¬-prepare food
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered or hand¬-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications (7¬-day supply) and medical items (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, cane)
• Multi¬purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, deed/lease
to home, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
• Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes

Next time the unexpected may occur to you. Be prepared make an emergency kit. For more information visit: chicagoredcross.org

Life Happens, Learn CPR

You enter your favorite French bistro with your friends on a Saturday night and are quickly seated at a quaint table right next to a window with a fabulous view of Chicago nightlife. Your waitress pours you a glass of water and gives you a few minutes to look at the menu while she runs to the back room to find your group a bottle of wine. Your best friend cracks a joke about the man across the room that looks like George Clooney and everyone at the table bursts out laughing. All of sudden, a man at the table next to yours collapses head first into his walnut salad. Everyone in the restaurant realizes that the man needs help but no one is trained in CPR. Your table watches in horror, unable to assist in anyway but to flag down a waiter and call 9-1-1. Later, you learn that the man did not survive.

Many may think that the probability of something like this occurring is relatively unlikely, but it was a reality for Nicholas Swain. While catering an event, a man collapsed and died before the ambulance was able to get to the location which was only a couple of blocks away from a hospital. Nicholas and his coworkers from Blue Plate, a catering company, decided to take the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago CPR course to be prepared for this type of incident.

CPR and First Aid are life saving skills that everyone young or old should have, because emergency incidents can occur at any time. On March 19th the Red Cross’s Save-A-Life event offered free CPR and First Aid classes throughout the nation. The event was in honor of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the head during a congressional rally in Tucson, Arizona. After the initial hit, her intern Daniel Hernandez provided first aid assistance and saved her life.

On Save-A-Life Saturday more than 11,000 individuals were trained. Like Nicholas and his colleagues, they also realized the importance of being prepared.

Nicholas and the catering staff come into contact with a variety of people and the probability of an incident where the use of CPR for emergency assistance is high. When working in the hospitality industry being able to perform CPR and the Heimlich maneuver can safe a life. According to a report conducted by the Center for Disease Control in the U.S. 60% of choking in children ages 0-14 was related to food. Food related choking incidents can occur anywhere from the home to a restaurant. It is important for restaurant, catering, and other hospitality industry staff to be able to perform procedures such as the Heimlich to prevent choking.

Being prepared can save lives, whether it is from learning how to prevent a fire to rescue support through CPR, the key is to be prepared. We encourage everyone to take a CPR class and to visit the prepared section on our website chicagoredcross.org .

Take action and learn CPR like Nicholas, his co-workers at Blue Plate, and the 11,000people who dedicated their time on Save-A-Life Saturday. Next time a person starts choking or collapses it may be up to you to save their life. Be ready. Be prepared.

Written By: Lauren Snyder and Erica Serna