Disaster Services - other than Responses

Plainfield, NJ: 

Carlos Varon, Emergency Services Director (ESD) from the Nassau County Chapter in Mineola, NY, visited the Tri-County Red Cross chapter in Plainfield, NJ on February 3, 2010 to see where his dad Al Varon volunteers in the disaster services office. Al is one of the lead volunteers who translates many of our documents into Spanish - and he's a wiz on Excel, too!

On the right is Mike Prasad, ESD for the Tri-County Chapter.

You and your family members can volunteer with the Tri-County Red Cross, too! Click on the Volunteer link at the top of our page to find out about our current volunteer opportunities.

Plainfield, NJ: The Tri-County Red Cross wants to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Here are some health and safety tips applicable to this holiday and throughout the year:

Fire Safety is always important, and especially during the holidays...

• Don't leave the turkey (or any other foods) cooking unattended. Also be sure that pot handles are turned inward - away from the front of the stove so small children don't try and reach up to pull something down on them.
• Be very careful with deep-fryers and turkeys. Follow all the directions and warnings, stay way away from your house and any overhanging roofs or material that could catch on fire. Have an ABC fire extinguisher ready and don't try this alone. Many fires start when people try this the first time and they don't follow all the proper safety steps.
• Keep an eye on candles and fireplaces - especially around children and pets. Make sure they are fully extinguished before leaving the room unattended or going to bed.
• Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors today. If you have one near the kitchen and it goes off while you are cooking - don't take the battery out. Chances are you may forget to put it back in. Remove the smoke detector and put it on your pillow in your bedroom. This will remind you to put it back when you go to bed - if not sooner.     

Don't let the flu ruin your holiday...

• If you are travelling and feel sick, seriously consider staying home. If you have the flu, its a good chance you can spread it to others and you will feel miserable doing so.
• Wash your hands with soap and water (or 60% alchohol hand sanitizer) frequently when travelling, as there will be people all around you who do not follow our first tip.
• At family gatherings, try and cut down on the handshaking and the PDAs. Now is a good time for your family and friends to learn the art of bowing.
• Bring lots of tissues - for your own coughs and sneezes and to offer to others for theirs. The guidebooks all say to sneeze into the inside of your elbow or arm if you don't have a tissue, which is why we think you should carry some with you so you don't have to do this. 

Our office will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and the Friday afterwards. In the event of an emergency, you can still reach us at (908) 756-6414 24 hours a day including holidays. Red Cross Volunteers will respond to local fires and other disasters whenever they occur. To learn more about becoming a disaster volunteer with the Tri-County Red Cross, please call Mike Prasad at (908) 756-6414 x15 or click on http://www.tricountyredcross.org/volunteer/ 

Scotch Plains, NJ: Tri-County Red Cross Registered Nurses volunteered to administer flu shots, along with Union County Medical Reserve Corps volunteer nurses, and nursing students from Trinitas and other local hospitals, during the H1N1 Flu Shot Clinic in Scotch Plains, NJ on Sunday, November 8, 2009.

 

See more pictures of the Flu Clinic at our Flickr site!

More than 2100 doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine were given out that day. "Recent changes in Red Cross protocols at the national level were made to allow Red Cross nurses qualified to give injections, the ability to do so at local health department-run H1N1 flu shot clinics like this one," said Michael Prasad, Director of Emergency Services for the Tri-County Red Cross. "We are very grateful for highly skilled services our nurse volunteers provide - and the urgent need for their services which makes a positive impact to our community, is recognized by the Red Cross and by local town officials as well," he added.

While the Red Cross does not give flu vaccinations at our chapter locations, we do assist local health officials with logistics support, public health information communication distribution, and volunteer nurses, as they are available. The NJ Department of Health and Senior Services has created an online H1N1 Resource Center where you can find a flu shot in your area and learn more about the H1N1 flu virus.

If you are a Registered Nurse and are interested in learning more about the volunteer opportunities with the Tri-County Red Cross in our communities in Union, Somerset and Middlesex Counties - or beyond in other parts of NJ or the United States, please contact Mike Prasad at (908) 756-6414 x15 or by e-mail at prasadm@usa.redcross.org.

Plainfield: The Tri-County Red Cross is seeking volunteers to come out on Saturday, October 24, 2009 for "Make a Difference Day" to clean up our disaster services canteen truck and supply trailer. We will be in downtown Plainfield's Parking Lot #9 between Front Street and Second Street (enter from either Central Avenue or Second Street) between 10am and 2pm that day. Click here to sign up for this event.

That day we will also be collecting old cell phones to turn in to phone cards for U.S. soldiers overseas, used ink toner cartridges, and new travel size tubes of toothpaste for our disaster kits. Please stop by the parking lot to drop off these items as well.

Merck employees from the Rahway, NJ plant came out to the Tri-County Red Cross office in Plainfield NJ to help us square some things away. Speed and safety are vital when responding to a disaster, and the assistance these great volunteers gave us in reorganizing our shelter supplies and repairing the electrical system in our trailer will make a great difference.

The American Red Cross is at its best when we are prepared before a disaster, and Merck gets that.  Thanks!

Here's a couple videos taken by Mike Prasad on a Flip Video camera.  Please forgive our skills -- we're just starting to do video for real!

 

You can see some still photos of their day of service on our Flickr site, too.