Date: Description of Red Cross Response:

9/07 Transport Red Cross disaster trailer filled with sheltering supplies to Winner

9/10 Participate in “Disaster Awareness & Safety Day 2011”

9/13 Volunteer Jan Albright returns after 16 days supporting disaster relief in New York

9/15 Respond to a home fire on Greenwood Lane in Rapid Valley

9/17 Participate in Volunteer Fair at Canyon Lake United Methodist Church

9/20 Conduct pre-deployment briefing for 34th Bomb Squadron & families at EAFB

9/22 Participate in Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) Meeting

9/24 Respond to a multi-family fire on 5th Street in Rapid City

9/26 Participate in Meade County Table Top Disaster Exercise

10/05 Respond to a home fire in rural Okreek (Todd County)

10/08 Conduct Sheltering Training course for 12 Red Cross volunteers

10/09 Respond to a home fire near Hermosa

10/12 Attend Emergency Management Training course in Pierre

10/18 Teach “CPR Made Simple” to 30 Youth & Family Services students

10/21 Participate in Health & Human Services Fair in Rapid City

10/22 Respond to a home fire on Bigfoot Trail in Wounded Knee

10/22 Respond to a home fire on Jackson Boulevard in Rapid City

10/22 Respond to a home fire on Sesame Street in Eagle Butte

10/24 Conduct post-fire prevention canvassing on Jackson Blvd (40 homes)

10/25 Conduct pre-deployment briefing for military personnel & families at EAFB

10/25 Provide CPR/AED demonstration at Corral Drive Elementary Science Night

10/26 Transport surplus bottled water from Pierre for local distribution

10/28 Respond to a home fire on Iron Lightning Road in Dupree

11/03 Respond to a home fire in Sturgis, no formal assistance needed

11/03 Provide canteen services to 200 firefighters at Meade County grass fire

11/04 Respond to a home fire on Michigan Street in Rapid City

11/04 Respond to a home fire on Downen Road near Fairburn

11/05 Respond to a home fire on Maple Avenue in Rapid City

11/09 Provide canteen service for firefighters battling M Hill grass fire in Rapid City

AMERICAN RED CROSS BLACK HILLS AREA CHAPTER

The Impact of Your Donation

Fall 2011 Newsletter

Red Cross Activities Log 1

Increase in Home Fires 2

Verizon Foundation Grant 2

Cooking Main Cause of Fire 2

Preparedness Events 3

Fiscal Year 2011 Outcomes 3

Services to Armed Forces 4

Inside This Issue:

Your Red Cross Staff:

Richard Smith

Executive Director

Dan Kuecker

Emergency Services Director

Anna Stuard

Health & Safety Logistics Specialist

Michele Lewis

Regional Development Coordinator

√ Remove flammable items such as

oven mitts, towels & packaging.

√ Purchase a fire extinguisher.

√ Use a timer to remind yourself

that the stove is on.

√ Install smoke detectors on all levels

of your home & check monthly.

The kitchen is the place where family

and friends love to gather, but cooking is

the number one cause of home fires in

this country. Avoid fire by taking the

following steps:

√ Never leave your home while cooking.

√ Keep children 3 feet from the stove.

P A G E 2

Our gratitude to the Verizon Foun-

dation for awarding the Black Hills

Area Chapter with a $7,745 grant to

support general disaster recovery

services.

The grant will support existing pro-

grams that focus on preparing for

and responding to disasters in west-

ern South Dakota. This includes our

Rural Training & Preparedness Ini-

tiative which places trailers stocked

with disaster supplies in isolated

communities to ensure a quick re-

sponse to emergencies. The funds

will also support our response to

home fires and other disasters in

our community.

Thank you Verizon Foundation!

F A L L 2 0 1 1 N E W S L E T T E R

Cooking is the Main Cause of Home Fires

Verizon Donation Funds Local Disaster Recovery

Increase in Home Fires with Colder Weather As the chill of fall arrived, the Red Cross experienced a significant increase in responses to home fires. Last fiscal

year, the Chapter responded to 91 house fires. That’s about one fire every four days! On average, the American

Red Cross responds to one fire every nine minutes. We are bracing for another busy fire season.

At any time of day or night, trained Red Cross

volunteers respond to the scene of fires to pro-

vide comfort and basic necessities including

housing, food, clothing, basic hygiene items,

mental health counseling, clean-up consulta-

tion and referrals to community based organi-

zations. Typically, a family is provided three

days of lodging to ensure they have a safe

place to stay while planning their recovery.

This service is funded by local donations.

The Red Cross recommends families take two

easy steps to protect their home and loved

ones from a fire: get a smoke alarm and cre-

ate/practice a fire escape plan. For more fire

prevention tips, visit the “Be Prepared” tab on

our website: www.blackhillsredcross.org.

This fall offered many opportunities for the Black

Hills Area Chapter to engage with the community

and promote preparedness activities. Our staff and

volunteers participated in the following activities:

- Disaster Awareness & Safety Day 2011

- Health & Human Services Fair 2011

- Corral Dr. Elementary Science Night (CPR/AED)

- Youth & Family Services (“CPR Made Simple”)

- Canyon Lake United Methodist Volunteer Fair

- Meade County Table Top Disaster Exercise

Additionally, we continue to teach classes on topics

including CPR, Automated External Defibrillators

(AEDs), First Aid and Nurse Assistant Training.

P A G E 3

Red Cross Participates in Preparedness Events

Health & Safety Programs

From First Aid, CPR and AED training to

swimming and lifeguarding; American Red

Cross programs help people lead safer and

healthier lives. This year we trained 3,042 indi-

viduals. We also provided consultation to busi-

nesses and organizations interested in purchas-

ing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

Post-Fire Neighborhood Canvassing:

In response to the fact that 65% of home fire

deaths occur in homes without functional smoke

detectors, our Chapter piloted a program that

involves Red Cross staff and volunteers can-

vassing neighborhoods where home fires have

recently occurred. We discuss basic fire preven-

tion techniques, encourage residents to develop

and practice evacuation plans and recommend

they check their smoke detector’s batteries. Sturgis Rally First Aid/Hydration Station

For the past two years, we have manned a first

aid/hydration station during the Sturgis Rally to

reduce the burden on the emergency response

system. This year our team consisted of eleven

volunteers and three staff who handed out water,

band-aids, sunscreen and bug spray. We pro-

vided direct medical care to 65 individuals.

This service was free to the public.

Disaster Response & Preparedness:

When a disaster strikes, the Red Cross responds with

immediate assistance to provide disaster victims

with a safe place to stay, food, clothing, emotional

support, comfort items and clean-up kits. This year,

the Black Hills Area Chapter responded to 91 home

fires. In response to larger disasters; we deployed

volunteers and equipment to Alabama, North Dakota

and Pierre. In March, we added two disaster trailers

to the five existing trailers which are stocked with

sheltering supplies and pre-positioned in isolated

western South Dakota communities to increase their

preparedness and reduce response time to these rural

areas during emergencies.

Services to Armed Forces:

The American Red Cross provides emergency com-

munications between those in the Armed Forces and

their families. In fiscal year 2011, we helped 162

military families send emergency messages and

briefed 1,470 individuals facing deployment on how

to access American Red Cross services anywhere in

the world. We also supported Veterans at local VA

clinics and rehabilitation centers by providing them

with care packages, electronics and food for special

events.

Outcomes for Fiscal Year 2011

If you or your organization would like the Red

Cross to participate in a community prepared-

ness event, please contact our office at (605)

342-4010.

1221 N. Maple Avenue

Rapid City, SD 57701

Phone: (605) 342-4010

www.blackhillsredcross.org

American Red Cross Services to Armed Forces

facebook: Like us on our “Black Hills

Red Cross” page for updates and events!!

Help us save on costs by receiving these

newsletters via email! To sign up

contact mlewisarc@rushmore.com.

AMERICAN RED CROSS

BLACK HILLS AREA CHAPTER

SAVE THE DATE!!

Wine & Jazz Festival

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Donate or

Volunteer Today!!

The phone rings in the middle of the night. A call we all dread; a

loved one has died. Despite the advances of modern technology;

email and telephones are not always enough to bridge family com-

munications when they involve distance and deployment. Each

year the Red Cross delivers more than 600,000 emergency com-

munications; from the joy of a birth announcement to the often

distressing notification of illness or death. The Red Cross verifies

the accuracy of each report in order to assist the commanding offi-

cers respond to requests for leave in a timely manner. This service

is provided by Red Cross staff members 24 hour a day at military

installations worldwide.

The Red Cross also provides forward deployment sites to give

troops a place to relax and connect with home using free phone

cards. For those with financial needs; emergency financial and

travel assistance is available.

This holiday season, we will continue our tradi-

tion of creating oversized holiday cards for the

community to sign and express their gratitude

to our troops at both Ellsworth Air Force Base

and Camp Rapid. Last year these cards were

displayed in multiple locations to ensure a

large number of troops viewed these greetings.

Red Cross supports local fire departments during a grass fire.