Health and Safety

The Tri-County Red Cross released a schedule first aid, CPR, infant CPR and AED classes for July 2009 today.  You can register online through Google Checkout, or call (908) 756-6414 to register for a class.

The Tri-County Red Cross donated a Shelter Manager Kit to the North Plainfield Office of Emergency Management (OEM) on May 15, 2009. This kit contains all of the paperwork, forms, signs and office supplies needed to open and maintain an shelter in the event there is a fire, evacuation, flood or other disaster that affects North Plainfield or any of the surrounding towns in their area.

The kit, contained in a large storage tub, also contains flashlights, trash bags, extra toilet paper, caution tape, gloves and a number of other items that can help turn a facility into a shelter.  The kit has about $250 worth of stuff in it - and was funded by the generous donations of the local public to the Tri-County Red Cross. We have four more of these kits, which will go out to towns that are active participants with the Red Cross, in terms of establishing Red Cross shelters and providing volunteers to staff those shelters. We serve 22 towns, and we would very much like to have at least one non-school shelter in each town, to support local disasters - so we need to build 17 more kits. If you would like to donate towards the purchase of items for these kits, please click on the donate button below.

What's missing are cots, blankets, food - and of course the large number of volunteers needed to staff a shelter. The cots, blankets and food we can access fairly easily, it's the volunteers that we need more of, to help support local shelters in all of the 22 towns that the Tri-County Red Cross serves. We estimate that it takes at least 30 people to operate a small shelter per day - 10 people per 8 hour shift.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a shelter volunteer - able to help us in the unlikely event we have a disaster, but ready and trained nonetheless - please visit our special shelter training page on our web site at www.tricountyredcross.org/dc.html.  

As health experts around the world seek to better understand the scope and severity of the swine flu outbreak, this is a good time for individuals, families, businesses and organizations to review and update their emergency preparedness plans.

Stay Healthy
The Red Cross and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are offering the following tips to ensure you stay healthy:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective when soap and water aren't available.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. Try to avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Influenza (flu) is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing.
• If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Consult your healthcare provider if you develop symptoms of the flu, such as:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills
• Extreme tiredness
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea

For more information, see the Red Cross Flu Checklist.

Prepare for Potential Flu Outbreak
Stocking extra food, water and supplies at home will reduce the need to go out should swine flu become more widespread, thereby limiting potential for exposure to the virus. If a person does get sick and has extra supplies on hand, they will help reduce the spread of the flu by staying home.

• Store a two-week supply of food, water and household necessities (such as laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc.). Select foods that are easy to prepare and store. 
• Store one gallon of water per person per day in clean plastic containers. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles.
• Ensure that formula for infants and any child's or older person's special nutritional needs are a part of your planning. Store an extra supply of food for your pets.
• Make sure you have an adequate supply of essential medications and medical items for all family members.

The Red Cross recommends you take this opportunity to prepare your family for any disaster by getting a preparedness kit, making a plan and being informed. More information is available on the Red Cross Web site.

Up-to-the-minute updates on the swine flu can be found at the CDC Web site. People seeking information on human swine flu should visit the CDC Web site or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

Español: Seguridad contra la gripe estacional

 

Late yesterday President Barack Obama declared March as Red Cross Month.  In following the 91 year tradition, President Obama is furthering his call for more community volunteerism and activism. 

There are opportunities for everyone to support their community through the Red Cross.  Of course, the quickest is to make a donation to the Tri-County Red Cross, but there are many other opportunities.

• Host a blood drive at your high school, church, business or community organization.  Call Denise Neto at (908) 756-6414 to learn how;
• Take free disaster classes to be trained as a volunteer in the event of a major emergency.  Call Mike Prasad at (908) 756-6414 for more information;
• Schedule a free Be Red Cross Ready seminar for your PTA, scout parents, church or neighborhood to be sure everyone is prepared to respond in an emergency. Call Mike Prasad at (908) 756-6414 for more information;
• Take a first aid and CPR class to you can help others who are injured or ill;
  
• Volunteer to help families who lose their homes to fire, work in the office, organize fundraising events, serve as a leader on our board of directors, counsel blood donors at drives, recruit more volunteers at street fairs, teach first aid or CPR, drive seniors to doctors appointments, help a soldier come home for the birth of his daughter.

You can volunteer one hour a year, or eight hours a day.  There's something for everyone's schedule and abilities at the Red Cross.  Be there for your community, for your neighborhood, and for your family by getting involved today.

The full proclamation is below the fold.