By Kathryn Hecht
Benjamin Greenberg looked for a way to give back for a long time. A resident of Santa Rosa since 1999, Ben grappled with frustrating circumstances and a host of medical issues that left him on disability with a light work schedule. However, when the fires hit in October 2017, the Coddington resident thought, “I should do something.”
So he just showed up. Read more
This spring, Red Cross teams across the country are making a special effort to reach even more people in even more homes as part of our lifesaving Home Fire Campaign. During a period that spans three weekends between April 28 and May 13, the Red Cross has been making plans to Sound the Alarm, Save a Life with more than 25,000 volunteers to install an additional 100,000 smoke alarms and educate residents about home fire safety in communities throughout the United States.
Here are the totals for the campaign in the Northern California Coastal Region: 752 volunteers made 783 homes safer by installing 2,208 smoke alarms and educating 2,530 residents.
The Red Cross’ national “Sound the Alarm” campaign is reducing the number of home-fire-caused injuries and deaths. Working with our campaign partners, Red Cross teams are installing smoke alarms in homes, replacing alarm batteries when needed, and educating residents about other steps they can take to be safe.
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In 2017, Puerto Rico was hit with two strong hurricanes that devastated the island. One hundred percent of the population was without power, and many were without water or a safe consistent food source. The American Red Cross put out a call for disaster worker volunteers who have experience working in third world environments; they specifically sought returned Peace Corps volunteers, of which I am one. Read more
By Sharon J. Alfred
Red Cross HFC Volunteer Daren Olson poses with “Sparky,” who is the fire prevention mascot for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
Daren Olson is a firefighter with 30 years’ experience, so when he retired it was natural for him to become a volunteer with the American Red Cross’ Home Fire Campaign (HFC). During his many years as a firefighter, he saw smoke alarms in all sorts of conditions. Olson recalled, “Once, I saw a melted smoke alarm sitting on the counter!” He never wants to see that again.
Preventing home fire is a subject near and dear to his heart. That’s one of the main reasons he volunteers on the HFC campaign with the Red Cross. He is the Contra Costa County HFP administrator/coordinator. Read more
SAN JOSE, CA (April 17, 2018) — American Red Cross volunteers were called by the San Jose Fire Department at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, to provide care and comfort to the 100+ residents evacuated due to the 5-alarm apartment fire on McLaughlin in San Jose.
Red Cross volunteers arrived on scene and quickly opened an evacuation center at the complex clubhouse, where residents were able to gather and wait for more information about next steps. Food and emotional support were provided. Also, Red Cross volunteers were able to meet with each family to assess the disaster-related needs. Read more
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