Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Prepare-aphernalia: The Wash N’ Go Compact Sink Organizer

When a disaster strikes, we all like to think that we are prepared with a kit that will allow us to survive for an extended amount of time. It’s all good, right? What about you preparaphernaliacs out there who are prepared to rough it, but also want to keep up your hygienic routine? Well, I have got the perfect accessory for your disaster preparedness kit. Introducing the Wash N’ Go Compact Sink Organizer. This compact accessory is one of the handiest camping/survival items you can own. Wash a few dishes, or keep 3 gallons of water on hand for sanitation and drinking. In the event of a disaster, this can be an inexpensive luxury item that can provide you and your loved ones with comfort and convenience when you need it most. It holds 3 gallons of water for drinking and washing, and it has a specially designed inner plug that brings water into the sink from the reservoir. The lid has room for toothbrushes, razors, toothpaste, and other accessories, and also includes a built-in mirror. Don’t forget the carrying handle, made for your convenience. 




















For more information on purchasing this disaster kit must-have, visit 
http://www.majorsurplus.com/Wash-N-Go-Compact-Sink-Organizer-P14274C2336.aspx

Samantha Minks
AmeriCorps NPRC 2013-2014
Preparedness Coordinator
American Red Cross - Kern Chapter
samantha.minks@redcross.org

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Prepare-aphernalia: Keep Cool and Warm




Considering the weather change we're experiencing in the Central Valley, I felt that this was a "cool" item to share with you.


jakpak1
I present to you the JakPak, a versatile piece of material that morphs from a windbreaker to a sleeping bag to a tent! Built in mosquito netting, waterproof, and flame retardant makes this one super neat item to use in a disaster supply kit or if you're an outdoors enthusiast. Though the price is not super cheap, it probably evens out when factoring in the cost of purchasing each item individually. Oh, and it only weighs three pounds!

Here's a link to check out more: http://www.coolthings.com/jakpak-all-in-one-jacket-looks-practical/

Amitai "Tai" S. Zuckerman
Preparedness Coordinator
American Red Cross – Tulare and Kings Counties
AmeriCorps NPRC Member 2013-2014
Community Preparedness and Resilience Services
amitai.zuckerman@redcross.org

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Team Firestopper; The Taft Edition

Last Saturday October 19th, Team Firestopper was at it yet again canvassing the community and passing out fire safety information. This time in the Taft community, Team Firestopper was given the amazing opportunity to partner with Occidental of Elk Hills, Inc.
I am passionate about the Team Firestopper initiative, and have grown fond of community canvassing. That being said, I can’t begin to explain how great it was to work with the high school students of the Taft Oil Academy. These student volunteers were phenomenal. I enjoyed getting to know them as we walked through the neighborhoods of Taft, sharing our backgrounds and talking about everything under the sun. The students in my group were so bubbly, and they brought smiles to the faces of each of the residents they spoke to about Team Firestopper. My group ended up passing out 199 Team Firestopper canvassing bags! After lunch when canvassing was over, my group members thanked me and expressed their liking toward the Team Firestopper program. I was so happy that they enjoyed their first volunteer experience!


On behalf of the American Red Cross and the Team Firestopper Program, I want to give a big THANK YOU to all of the volunteers from Occidental of Elk Hills, Inc. and to the high school students of the Taft Oil Academy. Team Firestopper couldn't have done it without your support!


Samantha Minks
Preparedness Coordinator
AmeriCorps NPRC Member 2013-2014
American Red Cross - Kern Chapter
samantha.minks@redcross.org


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Prepare-aphernalia: The Rescue Monster





This might be the coolest vehicle ever made.

Romania has produced a vehicle that seems to be ready for the end of the world. It floats in water, carries people in a sled, climbs steep embankments, and has the ability to pull a Hummer when it's stuck. I know there's someone out there wondering if this can hold up against a zombie apocalypse, and considering how versatile it is to customize the vehicle to certain needs, I'd say so.

Ghe-O Rescue

Though it's designed for military use, emergency medical rescue, and fire fighting services, I'm sure I can come up with a few ideas for my own use.

Here's a link and definitely check out the video:

And FYI, I put this on my birthday wishlist.

Amitai "Tai" S. Zuckerman
Preparedness Coordinator
American Red Cross – Tulare and Kings Counties

AmeriCorps NPRC Member 2013-2014
Community Preparedness and Resilience Services
amitai.zuckerman@redcross.org

Friday, October 18, 2013

Team Firestoppers and Edison High School Community Canvassing

Hello everyone!
Hope October is going well. Everyone is remembering to be prepared and have put into practice your fire prevention plans, right?! You’ve been meaning to I’m sure. Well, I hope you know by now, Team Firestoppers Season 3 has begun to invade the Central Valley. Yes, I said invade! We are out in the community canvassing and informing neighborhoods about fire safety and fie prevention, also inviting them to our Fire safety Seminars. We are out encouraging our neighbors to Stop the fire before it starts.
Our team is small, with only 5 members; we rely strongly on our volunteers. In case you didn’t know we are having our first fire safety seminar, this Saturday October 19, at Edison High School; I thought it would be a good idea to ask Edison High students to volunteer and canvass the community around their school. So I called in a favor; one of my very good friends just happens to be the Head Coach for the Edison High Tigers softball team. So I said, “Hey Coach G, can I borrow your softball team?” She had a very confused look on her face, but after an explanation, she was all for it. She was able to encourage some of her girls to volunteer.
On October 5, we canvassed the communities near Edison High School. The Edison High softball team, well those who didn’t have to take their SAT’s, were there bright, early, and full of energy (by the way they had homecoming the night before; energy was a miracle).  We also had girls from Sanger high and Clovis high.  And all these girls did a great job, making the canvassing fun for all of us. Now I can't forget to mention that we also had family members and board members helping us canvass. On October 5, we were able to canvass 2000 homes! We couldn’t have done it without them, and if we didn’t say that day, we will say it now…THANK YOU!!! YOU GIRLS ROCK!!!! ALL OF YOU ROCK!! Go Edison High Tigers! Go Sanger High Apaches! Go Clovis High Cougars!!
 
 
 
 
Veronica Lases  AmeriCorps NPRC Member
Preparedness Coordinator
Community Preparedness and Resilience Services
 

 
 
 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The AmeriCorps Member: A True Life Story Series

I really like the way that Amitai “Tai” S. Zuckerman explains the AmeriCorps NPRC program as, “basically a collaborative effort between AmeriCorps and the American Red Cross. We work on emergency preparedness, community resilience, and disaster relief.” He’s exactly right. The duties of Amitai “Tai” S. Zuckerman, Veronica Lases, and myself encompass each of these aspects. However, my journey to get to this point is a little different than Tai’s, and Veronica’s, too.

Like Tai mentioned, I also didn’t have any social ties to this region, I didn't know where I would live, and I didn't know how I was going support myself financially during this 11 month commitment. But, I didn't apply for the program with skepticism. I applied with a sense of adventure and a desire to do something for the greater good of others. I know, I could’ve done plenty of great things as an AmeriCorps member closer to home in Indiana, but I wanted to try something new, and I wanted to meet new people.  As for the financial aspect of it all, I’m a recent college graduate; let’s just say I’m used to being broke.

As a Communication major in college, I’ve always known that interacting with people is my strong suit. Naturally, I love the community outreach aspect of my AmeriCorps position. I get to go out in the community and interact with tons of great people who I never would have met if it hadn't been for this opportunity. I get to educate them on all aspects of disaster preparedness, which is something that I've grown to be quite passionate about in these past few months. I’m constantly meeting new people, people who do amazing things for our communities throughout the Central Valley, and people who donate their time and energy to help others.


I love the flexibility that comes with being an AmeriCorps NPRC member. Just yesterday I was sitting in my office, making phone calls to local businesses to set up Be Red Cross Ready presentations, when I got a call from my Disaster Action Team duty officer. There had been a fire here in Bakersfield and I was asked to respond. One second I was sitting at my desk, and 15 minutes later I was at the scene of a horrendous fire that destroyed a family’s home. My heart just hurts when I think about what they must be going through, and I feel so lucky that I get to work with an organization that reaches out to help these people in need. 

I couldn't be happier to be where I am today, even if I am so far from home. The experiences I have already had, and the friendships I have already made just go to show how truly rewarding this experience has been, and will be. 


Samantha Minks
Preparedness Coordinator
American Red Cross - Kern County
AmeriCorps NPRC Member 2013-2014
Community Preparedness and Resilience Services
samantha.minks@redcross.org

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The AmeriCorps Member: A True Life Story Series

When I introduce myself to someone and what I do, I usually start with "Hi, my name is Tai, and I'm an AmeriCorps member." Almost without fail, the response is usually a blank stare for a few seconds until I follow it up with "... It's the national service corps." That statement is most often met with raised eye-brows and a "Oh cool! Very neat." I then explain that there are different corps within AmeriCorps and my corps, the National Preparedness and Response Corps, is basically a collaborative effort between AmeriCorps and the American Red Cross. We work on emergency preparedness, community resilience, and disaster relief. For 2013-2014, there are 122 "NPRCers" across the United States at various Red Cross Chapters. Here in the Central Valley Region, we're lucky enough to have three NPRCers who have dedicated 11 months and at least 1,700 hours of national service.



All of this is good and dandy, but what is life actually like as an AmeriCorps member? I'd like to start this series of NPRC life stories with how I got here using the notions of motivation and adventure.

I applied to the NPRC with much skepticism. I didn't have any social ties to the region, I didn't know where I would live, and I didn't know how I was going to make ends meet. What I did know was that this was a different course of action from almost anyone I've known and I'll admit, I don't always stick to the way things are traditionally accomplished (Exhibit A: Taking courses in croquet and juggling to graduate from college and earn my Bachelor's degree...). When I started to learn how this position positively affects people, so much to the point where I have the real potential to save lives, needless to say my motivation for applying and becoming an AmeriCorps member soared. 

With the motivation came the wide-eyed, kid-in-a-candy-store syndrome when I realized the adventure I was about to embark upon. The more I thought about life in the Central Valley and the work I would be doing, I realized more and more that this would be an adventure unlike any other I've experienced thus far. I was warned that I would have to be flexible because my schedule can change at a moments notice, that I would be responding to local disasters, that I would encounter all sorts of demographics, that I would travel around the region to conduct shelter surveys, and that I would go on a national deployment for weeks, away from the comforts of my new home. 

And I thought "Yes, I want that adventure."

Amitai "Tai" S. Zuckerman
Preparedness Coordinator
American Red Cross – Tulare and Kings Counties

AmeriCorps NPRC Member 2013-2014
Community Preparedness and Resilience Services
amitai.zuckerman@redcross.org

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

A Launch, A Lunch, and A Side of Fire Prevention

Yesterday, myself and the rest of the Community Preparedness and Resilience Team attended a luncheon at the Fresno Fire Museum to kick off the third season of Team Firestopper. We arrived early to set up the event and expected the occasion to run smoothly, allowing us to interact with our community partners and sponsors. By the time the attendees of the event arrived, the room looked fantastic and the speakers began. First was Ellen Knapp, the American Red Cross Regional CEO. I really enjoyed when she sat her script on the podium, and spoke freely about our amazing supervisor, Alex Villa, who is the father of Team Firestopper. She beamed that two years ago, Alex walked into her office with this bright idea to emphasize disaster preparedness in order to minimize or completely eliminate house fires in the Central Valley. As more and more people spoke of the accomplishments of Alex and his program, I realized that I was sitting in the presence of a revolutionary.

Here we are three years later, stronger than ever, and reaching out to more people than ever. The program is spreading throughout the Central Valley, educating at-risk communities that haven’t been reached before. Team Firestopper has made such a splash here in the Central Valley, and now it’s going viral. Other American Red Cross chapters have heard of the success of the program and are integrating it into their own communities. As you can see, this is an amazing program to be involved with, one that exists for the greater good of our communities to prevent home fires. I, and the rest of the dedicated staff and volunteers here at the American Red Cross feel very strongly about the program and its benefits to at-risk communities, and we encourage you to participate.

For more information on when and where Team Firestopper events take place, and how to get involved, be sure to visit http://www.redcross.org/ca/fresno/be-prepared/team-firestopper


Samantha Minks
Preparedness Coordinator
American Red Cross – Kern Chapter

AmeriCorps NPRC Member 2013-2014
Community Preparedness and Resilience Services
samantha.minks@redcross.org

Fire Prevention Week - A Firsthand Account



This week is Fire Prevention Week and while we have written about various events and ways to be prepared, I'd like to share with you my experience from my first, official Team Firestopper event.

This past Saturday, I met with Red Cross staff and many volunteers in Fresno to canvass a neighborhood, knocking on the door to each and every house, providing free information on fire safety and prevention. Many residents were excited to learn about the opportunities to make their home safer and they expressed interest in the fire safety seminar that we will host on October 19th in Fresno. I enjoyed engaging with our youth volunteers and I believe they learned beneficial skills along the way, such as the notion of community service and positively interacting with demographics they might otherwise not encounter. Additionally, witnessing multiple organizations work together for a unified goal made the experience that much more humbling.




Above all other aspects to this event, the most satisfying part is knowing that maybe, just maybe, I helped save a family from being displaced. It's a very important reminder to never lose sight of that purpose. After all, that is why we do what we do.

For more information about Team Firestopper, be sure to visit this website: http://www.redcross.org/ca/fresno/be-prepared/team-firestopper

Amitai "Tai" S. Zuckerman
Preparedness Coordinator
American Red Cross – Tulare and Kings Counties

AmeriCorps NPRC Member 2013-2014
Community Preparedness and Resilience Services
amitai.zuckerman@redcross.org

Monday, October 7, 2013

Because Disasters Happen

Drew Rosado, Red Cross
Volunteer & Student Nurse
BECAUSE DISASTERS HAPPEN
Written by: Drew Rosado
CSU Fresno Nursing


Become Red Cross Disaster Prepared!! Volunteer,Volunteer, Volunteer! Do your part in helping your community!!! We have been most fortunate here in the greater Fresno area to have faculty leaders like Debby Dailey of the Central Valley Red Cross Chapter. She not only teaches nursing at Fresno City College, the first woman fire fighter in California, but also is the mobile manager for the western region of the United States for the American Red Cross. Putting it plainly, she is the onsite; go-to woman in charge. She mobilizes the emergency personnel during any major event in which the Red Cross is involved, thereby assisting many communities, both here in the state of California and Nationally.

Through her participation with Fresno State Nursing and the surrounding schools, she has made it possible for student leaders to become actively involved within the community and beyond. This is due to the fact that Debby advocates for the student nurse and allows us to practice under her license out in the field. She is always looking and willing to take us along for the ride wherever it may be. When the Tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma Debby was the first person I called. She immediately put me in touch with the right people through her office, and then it was no time at all until my fellow nursing leaders of today got together and volunteered wherever help was needed. 


A good part of my summer was spent helping the Central Valley Red Cross chapter in raising funds for the disaster victims in Oklahoma. My courageous fellow nursing comrades and I stood on the street corners collecting funds, we took calls during a telethon at our local chapter, and we set up pop tents at our local shopping mall over several days. In all, we raised nearly $25,000 + dollars for the victims in Oklahoma. This was exciting!! It didn't stop there, for the following month our state was plagued with fires both natural and set by arson. I assisted with the staffing of student nurse volunteers at a fire shelter set up at a Mariposa Elementary School. Even though I was not able to attend and help the victims at the shelter in Mariposa due to daddy-day care responsibilities; I spent my time coordinating student nurse personnel to man the shelter. My hat goes off to them and their huge hearts.

At the end of June we had our second phase of the disaster preparedness class. This allowed those students on summer break to get educated and sign up to volunteer. This allowed current students to volunteer locally within the state and graduate nurses/RN’s to participate throughout the nation with the Red Cross and the disaster’s victims. When disasters strike all eyes turn to medical personnel for assistance. The more prepared we are, the more we can be of service. The Oklahoma tornadoes were just one example of the type of situation we can get involved with. The most common disasters are floods and fires. These are the type of disasters that here in California our communities need assistance with.

I am an advocate for volunteering at the local level for The American Red Cross. I don’t see why one would not want to get involved, especially as a student nurse. The infrastructure is already in place for us to be certified and qualified by the Red Cross. There are so many avenues to take from teaching CPR classes, educating youth at schools, disaster volunteerism, or contacting our Community Health Director of CNSA (at the state or local level) and ask for assistance in setting up an educational day on your school campus to have Red Cross come and teach the Disaster Preparedness class. We have liaisons available to help us become educated and provide us with the tools to give back to our communities. The Red Cross was started by nurses, run by nurses for nurses. This is exciting to me, how about you? Let’s all be Red Cross disaster prepared today, to help our community tomorrow!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Holidays and Fire Prevention


 

So by now you know its Fire Prevention month, but it’s also the beginning of our holiday season. I know some of you may be thinking, “What?! It’s the holidays already?!” Yup, the pumpkins have appeared, the costume stores are full, and the malls have their “Happy Holidays” decorations going up. Poor Thanksgiving always gets forgotten, but danger never forgets to take advantage of the holidays! The thing about the holidays, we get busy. We are preoccupied with school/work, holiday parties, kids parties, where we are spending the holidays, who is cooking what…ect. I get it! It’s a crazy time, so why am I even bringing it up so early in the season? Well, because I’m the Preparedness Coordinator, and I’m here to remind you to be ready or get ready! I want to make sure you know how to prevent a home fire in your home or the home of your friends and family.
I’ve told you before about getting a kit, making a plan, and being informed; now I’m going to add be fire safe. Let’s start with checking the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detector; you should have one of each and in working condition. Make sure your emergency kit has the proper items in it and season appropriate (for a full list check out our website). Make sure you have a fire extinguisher, and know how to use it, for smaller fires in the home (if I were cooking we better have one ready).  Conduct a fire drill in the house; make sure everyone in the household knows how to escape in case of a fire. Update your contact cards and your point of contact outside the home.
 The holidays are supposed to be about making memories with those you love. I know it’s a bit early to even be thinking about the holidays, but before you carve your pumpkin (which I hope you won’t be putting a candle in) or deep fry your turkey, remember fires can be preventable. Enjoy this fall and holiday season, and learn your fire safety before you need to use it. The holidays and home fires go hand in hand; fall and winter tend to be high risk for home fires, and we (Red Cross) are here to help you prevent this from happening to you.                        

 
Veronica Lases  AmeriCorps NPRC Member
Preparedness Coordinator
Community Preparedness and Resilience Services



Thursday, October 3, 2013

PG&E, Red Cross Announce Milestone in Educating More Than 700,000 Californians

The American Red Cross and PG&E announced an important milestone today (Oct. 2) in honor of National Fire Prevention Month: Training, educating or engaging more than 700,000 residents throughout Northern and Central California as part of the Ready Neighborhoods initiative. 

In 2012, PG&E announced a $2.5 million initiative to provide residents and communities with emergency preparedness training and education to help build safer communities in California. Together, the American Red Cross and PG&E aim to reach more than one million residents by 2014. PG&E works closely with first responders and the American Red Cross to encourage customers to be prepared before an emergency or a natural disaster. 

This year, the Ready Neighborhoods initiative will build on its success by launching fire prevention events and outreach in Bakersfield, Fresno and Sacramento during the month of October in honor of National Fire Prevention Month. 

“Through the Ready Neighborhoods initiative, the Red Cross Central Valley is empowering families to effectively prepare for and respond to emergencies, ultimately helping communities be more resilient following a disaster,” said Ellen Knapp, regional chief executive officer for the Central Valley region. She went on to state that “during National Fire Prevention Month the Central Valley Red Cross will launch Season Three of Team Firestopper, a program that will educate thousands of families on home fire prevention. This education is extremely important since volunteers in the Central Valley are responding to families affected by a home fire every 15 hours.” 

The Red Cross’ Team Firestopper project offers a comprehensive outreach and training program on the simple steps that residents can take to protect their homes and families from fires. The Firestopper program targets communities that have high incidents of fires, and will include various forms of outreach including community canvassing, home fire safety visits and safety fair seminars. 

“The terrain in California is as diverse as our customer base, making this part of the country susceptible to earthquakes, storms, wildfires and other natural disasters,” said Ezra Garrett, PG&E vice president of community relations and chief sustainability officer. “Public safety is PG&E’s highest priority, and the Red Cross is a trusted partner in supporting our customers during times of emergency. We are proud to bring the Ready Neighborhoods initiative to cities across Northern and Central California, and working with the Red Cross is a great way to help customers learn about fire safety.” 

PG&E employees are also strong supporters of the American Red Cross, personally pledging more than $75,000 to the humanitarian organization last year. 

During National Fire Prevention Month in October, PG&E and the American Red Cross remind Californians that first responders may not be able to respond quickly to everyone who needs help during times of crisis. That’s why personal preparedness is so important. PG&E offers the following information to keep you and your home or business safe from fire: 

  • Be sure smoke alarms are installed throughout your building. 
  • If your smoke alarms run on batteries, or have battery back-up power, replace batteries at least once per year. If the low battery warning beeps, replace the battery immediately. All smoke alarms in your building should be tested once a month using the alarm test button. 
  • Keep fire extinguishers in your building. Be sure to keep a fire extinguisher in high-risk areas such as the kitchen and workshop, and know how to use it. 
  • Know what to do in case of a grease or electrical fire. Use baking soda, or if a pan is on fire, smother the flames with a lid. Never use water to put out a fire on a stove. 
  • If leaking gas starts to burn, do not try to put the flame out. Call 9-1-1 and PG&E immediately. If it is safe to do so, turn off the gas service shutoff valve normally located near the gas meter.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The Really Little Engine That Really Could

With National Fire Prevention Week coming up, I thought I’d share something to get you in the right mindset… a fire truck! But not just any fire truck, as this may very well be the world’s tiniest operational fire truck. To my knowledge, we don't have fire response vehicles that are this small here in the Central Valley, but think of how popular it would be to give rides to children at local fairs or how cute it would be at a parade behind a regular fire truck? Regardless, it's pretty amazing that a fire truck so small can have such a large impact in someone's life. So with this short video in mind, let's start gearing up for National Fire Prevention Week!


Amitai "Tai" S. Zuckerman
Preparedness Coordinator
American Red Cross – Tulare and Kings Counties
AmeriCorps NPRC Member 2013-2014

Community Preparedness and Resilience Services

Who Is More Prepared?

For all of you preparedness gurus out there with basic cable, you might notice that in a lot of T.V shows characters are practicing emergency preparedness. It may not be as extravagant and detailed training that you would receive from someone at the Red Cross, but it's something! Some characters in T.V shows today are a little more prepared than others. Perfect example: Dwight Shrute (The Office) and Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory), I think it's safe to say that they would both be great survivalists. 

Who do you think is more prepared?


“Dwight Shrute” – The Office
Meet Dwight Shrute; top salesman at fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, beet farmer and self-proclaimed survivalist. Dwight is an avid outdoors men, hunter and trained in Goju ryu karate, a myriad of weapons and surveillance. He may believe in zombies, androids and vampires but he is always prepared to survive. Whether he is administering a shot of adrenaline, or imposing an unannounced fire drill, Dwight is the quintessential eccentric and incidental survivalist.




“Sheldon” – The Big Bang Theory
Dr. Sheldon Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., PH.D., Sc.D. This all around genius spends most of his time in the theoretical physics department and driving peers insane with his obsessive-compulsive preferences. Sheldon realizes the importance of a good back-up plan and makes sure to always have a bug out bag and an evacuation plan handy.
Quite possibly the quirkiest survival minded fiction character out there, Sheldon Cooper is an avid proponent of preparedness.




Samantha Minks
AmeriCorps NPRC Member 2013-2014
Preparedness Coordinator, Community Preparedness and Resilience Services
American Red Cross – Kern Chapter