Author Archives: Marcia Antipa

Making Life on the Water Safer

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Red Cross Volunteers bring home fire safety to the floating homes of Sausalito

Catherine Lee, Ron Lau, Vincent Valenzuela, Lesley Carmichael and Claire Cannariato (L to R) prepare to install smoke alarms in floating homes

“You’re on the water.  You’ve got wildlife out your window.  You’ve got the sun playing off the water.”

That’s how Flo Hoylman describes living aboard a houseboat in Sausalito, Calif., just north of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. But Flo, who serves on the board of the Sausalito Floating Homes Association, knows she and her neighbors on the water are just as susceptible to fires as any other Californians. 

“We still burn. And if there was a fire, like there was in Santa Rosa, the embers would come down on us, too.”

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Training the Next Generation of Babysitters

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(Back Row, L to R) Berkeley Rahn, Paula Luzardo, Natalie Malas and Eloise Green. (Front Row L to R) Trey Roost, Piper Hanson, Simone Gendreau and Molly Foster hold mannequin babies during Red Cross Babysitter’s Training course at Marinwood Community Center in San Rafael, Calif.

On a recent rainy day, a dozen young students aged 10 to 13 gathered at the Marinwood Community Center in San Rafael. The three boys and nine girls were there to learn some critical skills and earn an American Red Cross Certificate through the newly updated Babysitter’s Training course. Instructor Robyn Bruton began by asking the students, “What experience do you have with babysitting?” Hands shot into the air.

One girl offered “I have a lot of little cousins I hang out with.”

“I once held a baby!” called out one boy.

Bruton says there are “no wrong answers” to that question and that in this one-day class, students would gain the skills and confidence they needed to become successful babysitters. “Parents are always looking for babysitters, and they want someone they trust. I think this just adds an additional layer that they know their babysitter had a good foundation of training.”

This year, the Red Cross debuted a revamped Babysitter’s Training course, modernized for a new generation of young people. “The class definitely needed to be modernized,” remarks Bruton.

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“I feel like they’re the heroes in this world.” Future Firefighter Inspired to Help Red Cross Make Homes Safer

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On a recent chilly Saturday morning, high school senior Brayden Rapa joined dozens of other volunteers at the Vallejo Mobile Estates. Their goal was to make this community safer by installing free smoke alarms, made possible courtesy of the American Red Cross.

Brayden, a student at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek, volunteered for the event as part of his senior class project. He says most seniors choose a project based on a career path they are passionate about. He chose fire prevention because he plans to become a firefighter.

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A Childhood Dream, A Lifetime of Service 

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Oakland Fire Captain and Red Cross Volunteer Brian Oftedal attends Career Day at Ron Nunn Elementary School in Brentwood with his daughter, Camryn.
Photo courtesy of Brian Oftedal

From the time he was a little boy, Oakland Fire Captain Brian Oftedal knew he wanted to be a firefighter. Brian laughs about writing an autobiography in kindergarten, “I talked about how when I grow up, I wanted to be a firefighter-paramedic, just like John Gage and Roy DeSoto in “Emergency.” With my friends, our bikes would be our emergency vehicles and we would open and close the garage door and respond to calls.”

It didn’t take long for Brian to fulfill his lifelong dream, and in the process, to make a decades-long connection with the Red Cross. As a teenager, Brian took part in the Paramedic Explorer program, got his EMT certificate, and took the Red Cross Professional Rescuer CPR and First Aid Class.  “Brian was born to serve,” says Eva Marquez, American Red Cross Volunteer Engagement Manager. “He was in high school when he started and was the youngest volunteer on our team. I would see him volunteering at the Red Cross First Aid Station at the Livermore Wente Winery during their concert or co-teaching a CPR/First Aid class with a big smile.”

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Six Lives Saved 

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Red Cross Free Smoke Alarms Alert Marin County Family During House Fire 

“I said, ‘A fire! A fire!  Let’s get out. Everybody get out!’” 

The Monthier family home the night of Sept. 3, 2023.

Marie Monthier will never forget what happened in the early morning hours of September 3, 2023. She and her extended family of two older adults, two adult children and two small grandchildren were asleep in their mobile home in Marin County, California. Marie got up to use the restroom and heard smoke alarms blaring. That’s when she saw a fire behind the kitchen stove and alerted her family to evacuate. 

Marie’s son, David Mardy, had just moved into his own apartment in Marin County. When his mother called him after everyone got out of the house safely, David rushed over and found the home in ruins and his family in shock. 

“The whole family was on the street, standing, looking at the house burning down. My mom said, ‘Look at my house!’ Tears started coming out of my eyes,” David said. 

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