Local American Red Cross Elects Board Members, Officers
New board members elected to serve the American Red Cross -- Kansas Capital Area Chapter at its recent annual meeting are:
Don Buchner, Vice President, Managing Director, Hill's International and Global Customer Development
Red Cross has helped U.S. military since the Spanish-American War
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 — From ministering to soldiers on the battlefields of the Spanish-American War to serving today alongside military personnel in the Middle East, the American Red Cross has been supporting the United States armed forces for more than 100 years.
In observance of Memorial Day, the Red Cross takes this opportunity to detail the history of the Service to Armed Forces program, which supports the men and women who serve our country, and their families.
Red Cross began providing services for America’s military during the Spanish-American War when Red Cross founder Clara Barton recruited nurses across the country to help the Army at medical camps in Florida and Cuba.
During World War I, Red Cross employees and volunteers provided medical and recreational services for the military at home and abroad and established a Home Service Program to help military families. Eighteen thousand Red Cross nurses provided much of the medical care for the American military during World War I, and 4,800 Red Cross ambulance drivers provided first aid on the front lines. During World War I, 296 American Red Cross nurses and 127 American Red Cross ambulance drivers died in service to humanity.
In World War II, more than 104,000 nurses recruited by the American Red Cross served in military hospitals at home and overseas. Red Cross employees and volunteers provided emergency message services. Twenty-seven million Red Cross packages were distributed to American and Allied prisoners of war, and staff and volunteers helped out in rest and recreation areas in the field and at military hospitals, hospital ships and trains. The Red Cross blood donor project added a new dimension to Red Cross services and collected 13.3 million units of blood for American servicemen. 78 Red Cross workers died while serving overseas during World War II.
During the Korean Conflict, Red Cross services grew. The blood program for the military was expanded. The emergency mobile recreation service served not only American troops, but all United Nations forces. Red Cross provided emergency communications from family members, a “first call home” program for the wounded and stationery so wounded service members could write home. When the 1953 armistice was signed, the American and Korean Red Cross ensured the transfer of nearly 90,000 prisoners of war. Two Red Cross workers gave their lives in service during the Korean Conflict. Red Cross staff have been assigned in South Korea continuously since 1953 providing emergency communications to members of the military and their families. They are there today. If hostilities were to break out on the Korean peninsula, these staff members would remain to support the wartime emergency communications needs of the service members and their families.
In 1962, the Red Cross sent its first field staff to Vietnam to assist the growing number of service members at various bases and hospitals. At the height of its involvement, 480 American Red Cross field directors, hospital personnel and recreation workers served throughout Southeast Asia. Red Cross workers brought recreation to an average of 280,500 service members each month. They logged more than 2 million miles in jeeps, trucks and helicopters during the program's seven-year history. Five Red Cross staff members gave their lives and many others were injured as they helped service members in Vietnam.
During Operation Desert Shield, Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) staff carried 215,000 emergency messages to and from the troops. Back home, American Red Cross employees and volunteers aided more than 4,700 service members and their families with $1.72 million in emergency financial assistance and other services. In fulfilling their duties in the Persian Gulf area, seven American Red Cross workers received the Bronze Star for meritorious service.
Red Cross staff were also on the ground in Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia, and Kosovo when they were needed to support American troops in those areas.
Red Crossers arrived in Uzbekistan on Christmas Day 2002 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, serving all U.S. troops in that country, as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Kyrgyzstan. After moving to Afghanistan and Kandahar, staff were consolidated into an office on Bagram AB in August of 2003 where the Red Cross still serves today. Red Cross staff arrived in Kuwait in 2004 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and are still on the ground in Kuwait and Iraq supporting the military during the ongoing conflicts there. They have handled thousands of emergency messages, distributed comfort kits, calling cards, greeting cards, quality of life items, and provided canteen services.
December 15, 2005 Help "drive" someone happy!
Would you like to feel good by helping others? We have a position for you!
Transportation drivers are needed for the daytime for our transportation program. Volunteer drivers help get people to-and-from appointments, such as doctor appointments and work places all around the town of Topeka. Call our office at 234-0568 to find out more about our flexible driving opportunities.
December 15, 2005 Wondering Why You Should Invest in Red Cross Lifesaving Training?
"Whether they plan to work in rehabilitation, teaching or in the study of human movement, it is important that students have a basic understanding of the skills to respond to an emergency situation. Through a cooperative relationship with the American Red Cross, Washburn University's Department of Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science has incorporated Red Cross resources, including textbooks, manikins, and other equipment which provide a level of training excellence that allows our students to become true professionals in the world of allied health."
Dr. Bill Sparks, Chair, Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science, Washburn University
Since 1909, the American Red Cross has trained tens of millions of people in first aid and CPR, translating the consensus of medical science into practical, easy-to-understand information for the American public. Today, Red Cross chapters offer a variety of first aid programs for different age groups and both general and professional audiences, including Workplace Training, Adult CPR/AED Training, Community First Aid and Safety, Community CPR, First Aid for Children Today (F.A.C.T.), Basic Aid Training (B.A.T.), Sport Safety Training, First Aid Responding to Emergencies and Emergency Response. All programs emphasize the importance of prevention and reflect the most recent changes in cardiac care. The goal of Red Cross courses is to teach people not only how to respond to injuries, but also how to prevent them.
December 15, 2005 Red Cross Grant from Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Assists Tribe
RED CROSS GRANT FROM PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION ASSISTS TRIBE
The American Red Cross – Kansas Capital Area Chapter has received a grant of $20,000 to help members of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation be prepared for and respond to natural and man-made disasters as well as learning to save lives.
The Red Cross will provide Emergency Preparedness training in Disaster Assessment, Shelter Operations, Mass Care, and a Shelter Simulation Workshop, where people will learn how to shelter and provide assistance to others in a manmade or natural disaster.
The tribe will receive shelter supplies for 100 people, including emergency preparedness and hygiene kits, cots, bedding and other supplies.
Fifty people will receive health and safety courses, including Babysitter’s Training that helps youth provide safe and responsible care for younger children in the temporary absence of parents or adult guardians. Participants develop skills in basic care, safety and safe play, and first aid for youngsters in their care, plus they will learn leadership skills and professionalism.
Also, Lifeguard Training & First Aid courses will train people in the skills and knowledge needed to prevent, recognize and respond effectively to aquatic emergencies including prevention of drowning and injury. Water Safety Instructor course will train instructors to teach water safety, where people learn how to prevent, recognize, and respond to aquatic emergencies; Parent and Child Aquatics, which helps develop swimming readiness by leading parents and their children in water exploration activities with the objective of having fun and becoming comfortable in, on and around the water; and all six levels of the Learn to Swim program, which advances a person’s swimming skills from the beginner through the proficient level.
In addition, the Red Cross will help recruit, and train instructors from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation to teach future Health and Safety classes to tribal members.
Training will be completed by summer.
December 15, 2005 Plan Ahead and Prevent Residential Fires
Written by Amanda Mascelli, Special to Redcross.org
Wednesday, March 30, 2005 — As Mother Nature teeters on the brink of residual snow falls and spring showers, winter storm warnings and tornado watches tend to be the themes of the disaster preparedness messages Americans receive this time of year. Although they do not grab the national headlines like ice storms and tornados, knowing how to prepare for residential fires proves priceless to the millions of Americans affected each year by these devastating disasters.
Fires are among the deadliest disasters to destroy homes across the country. Each year, nearly 5,000 Americans die in fires, and 80 percent of those deaths occur in home fires, a devastating fact considering that most residential fires are preventable.
George Washington University students in Washington, D.C. recently experienced first hand a tragic fire that could have been prevented when sheets from a student’s bed caught on fire as they came into contact with a portable electric grill. Students at George Washington University, like many other colleges across the country, are prohibited from having grills and various other electric appliances in their dorms rooms. The student whose room caught fire was listed in critical condition and damage contained to the room is estimated at $10,000.
"Although many residential fires are preventable, fires can ignite quickly and without warning. You and your household may have little time to decide the best method to escape -- that is why it is so important to plan two routes out of every room and a meeting place just outside your home,” said Keith Robertory, Fire Safety Expert. “Plan ahead for residential fires and other disasters and don't wait until it happens."
Preparedness is your best weapon against deadly fires. Follow these simple steps to make your home fire safe.
Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm outside each sleeping area and on each additional level of your home. If people sleep with doors closed, install smoke alarms inside sleeping areas, too. Use the test button to check each smoke alarm once a month. When necessary, replace batteries immediately. Replace all batteries at least once a year. Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time. Replace your smoke alarms every ten years.
Consider having one or more working fire extinguishers in your home. Get training from the fire department in how to use them.
Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your home. Determine at least two ways to escape from every room of your home. Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas on the second or third floor. Learn how to use them and store them near the window.
Select a location outside your home where everyone would meet after escaping. Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
Follow these safety tips in the event that a fire strikes.
Once you are out, stay out! Call the fire department from a neighbor’s home. If you see smoke or fire in your first escape route, use your second way out. If you must exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke to your exit. If you are escaping through a closed door, feel the door before opening it. If it is warm, use your second way out. If smoke, heat, or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with the door closed. Signal for help using a bright-colored cloth at the window. If there is a telephone in the room, call the fire department and tell them where you are.
