Los Angeles-based Red Cross volunteer Carmela Burke recently completed her deployment to the Carr Fire in Redding where she assisted the public affairs team. While there, she got the chance to interview Terry Zeller, a resident whose home burned in the fire.
But thanks to the help from firefighters and the support of friends and neighbors, Zeller said, “All is not lost.”
Read her story here.
It’s about Time…
Two minutes, to be exact.
In this agonizingly short timeframe, a family can win or lose its fight to escape a home fire and the lethal smoke created by that fire. One device can even the odds for a family: tested, working smoke alarms.
Our golden age community members understand this; they know there’s never any time to waste so these seniors didn’t.
Partnering with the American Red Cross, they took matters into their own hands. They knocked on doors, hauled ladders, drilled into walls, mounted alarms, replaced dead batteries, shared fire prevention tips, and documented their results in a smoke alarm installation campaign. In just four-days they saw 20% of their neighborhood homes equipped with brand new 10-year-battery smoke alarms. The group visited more than 100 homes installing 225 alarms.
They were the disaster volunteers of Mobile County Club in Rancho Cordova who carried out the project with the support of their management and Home Owners Association.
Nothing stopped them, not even temperatures which topped 100 degrees. Red Cross staff and volunteers, in some cases half the age of their clients, did their best to keep up. “They set a pace we haven’t seen before,” said Myisha Aban, Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Manager. “These people are so resilient and delightful. I wish my grandmother lived here.”
Equally important, residents were given safety literature emphasizing the all-imperative escape plan, ensuring that a two-minute evacuation strategy would not fail due to blocked or inaccessible exits or pathways to safety unknown to anyone in the household.
Spearheading the charge was Antonio Martinez, HOA Treasurer and the tireless promoter of disaster preparedness for his community of mobile homes. Tony initiated this project when he called the Red Cross inquiring for free vests. Joining Tony were residents Bob Schroeder, Lyle Fellows, Bill Johnston, Darrill Sturgeon, Jorge (Chiqui) Nievies, Linda Martinez, Deborah Fieldson, and Irene Ferraro.
The group proved itself not only handy but tireless. Keeping up with them (or trying to) were Veteran Red Cross volunteer Marcus Heningburg who oversaw Operations along with David Hansen, Todd and Terry Sanford, Isadora Marks, Reena Singh, and Patricia Davis, all of the American Red Cross.
Start to finish, the project was encouraged by Property Manager Leslie Gomez and Office Assistant Kelly Boughton; their support and hospitality contributed significantly to the event’s success.
The alarms and batteries were provided free of charge as benefits of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, a nationwide movement to cut by 25% and over a five-year period deaths from home fires.
Coast-to-coast, the fire service has supported the campaign and did so here. On the first day, a ladder company from Sacramento Metropolitan Fire walked with volunteers and encouraged neighbors to join the movement at Mobile Country Club.
…because Tony and his friends aren’t done.
They’ve got more of that Park to cover. And they will.
Given several factors, the Red Cross encourages all mobile home parks and their managements to consider a Home Fire Campaign for smoke alarm installation and community disaster education. For more information or to schedule installations visit our website: redcross.org/GoldCountry and click on Home Fire Campaign.
Author: Amy Magallanes, Public Affairs Volunteer
I am a career parent, which is to say the last 20 years, of my 40 on earth, have been spent pouring the best parts of myself into 4 wonderful humans. As the first of the 4 developed her wings and left for college; I was realizing the magnitude of being transplanted from one thing to another. For half my life, I have given. Time. Care. Hugs. Compassion. Kindness. Patience. As one by one my children will surely fly the coop; Even surer, is my capacity to give.
As a public affairs volunteer, Red Cross allows me the opportunity to listen. In every story I tell, I find my own. In relating the details, I find the courage and heart each individual, or volunteer possess. I add it to my own ever growing heart.
Volunteering at Red Cross ,may be holding space for a stranger, or your neighbor, but it is also holding space for yourself. Red Cross needs volunteers to pour life into humanity. Volunteers, like me, need Red Cross to pour meaning into the words I write; or significance into the photos I capture. It builds a bridge over the gap the changes in my own life have created. It allows me to witness, first hand, the best parts of humanity. It also connects me to other people who share the same idea; that giving of yourself with time, resource or compassion fills spaces that expand on who we are. It allows me to give to something larger than myself, while developing new friendships and bonds.
Red Cross grants me a platform in which to reflect a little bit of myself onto those who need it. Sometimes it’s your neighbor, sometimes a stranger. Or even your own family. Be a mirror. With a smile. A hug. A meal. Your time. The Red Cross reminds me, much like parenting does, you get back far more than what you put in.
Sacramento, CA (June 1 2016) — Texas residents are once again facing devastating flooding and the American Red Cross is there, helping those affected. Since the beginning of the year, numerous storms 
have ravaged the state, displacing thousands of families and devastating homes and businesses.
Some parts of Texas have already received as much as 19 inches of rain and the threat isn’t over – weather experts predict flooding will continue for several more days.in the Red Cross has 15 shelters open in Texas.. Emergency officials estimate that some 6,000 homes may be affected as mandatory evacuations continue.
Red Cross volunteers have mobilized once again, and our local region is helping with this national disaster by deploying volunteers. The Red Cross is also providing meals in coordination with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and other local partners. Red Cross volunteers will also be delivering relief supplies as soon as it is safe to do so.
“Texas has been having a tough year. Disasters 
first hit the area as the year began and again in March, April and earlier this month,” said Robin Friedman, Regional Disaster Officer. “Many families have suffered repeated loss from several floods just this year alone. Red
Cross workers have been helping from day one and will remain in the affected communities in the weeks and months ahead to make sure people get the help they need.”
HOW TO HELP You can help people affected by the Texas Floods and Tornadoes by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word TXFLOODS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations to Texas Floods and Tornadoes will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.
FLOODING SAFETY INFORMATION With the threat of more flooding in the region, the Red Cro
ss has steps people should follow to remain safe:
DOWNLOAD EMERGENCY With the threat of more severe weather, people should download the free Red Cross Emergency App to receive emergency alerts and information about what to do in case of flooding and other disasters, as well as locations of shelters. The App also includes emergency first aid information and a Family Safe feature which allows people to instantly see if loved ones are okay. The free Emergency App is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.
About the American Red Cross:The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.
The Gold Country Region serves a twenty-four county territory including Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba counties.
For more information, please visit redcross.org/GoldCountry or cruzrojaamericana.org. Stay up to date by following us on Twitter (@RCSierraDelta | @RedCrossNECal) or join the conversation on Facebook’s Sierra-Delta Chapter Page or Northeastern California Page.
Memorial Day is one of the most important days of the year – and not just because it heralds the beginning of summer. This day brings us together for a reason we can all stand behind: honoring the men and women who gave their lives in defense of our country.
Our military heroes put their lives at risk every day to protect our freedom and safety, and every safe homecoming is a reason to give thanks. But for veterans and their families, the joy of homecoming is often followed by a difficult transition period as they adjust to changes, reestablish bonds and cope with reintegration into civilian life.
This Memorial Day, you can honor our veterans and service members by sponsoring Reconnection Workshops to help service members, veterans and their families reengage in civilian life.
Give now to make a meaningful difference.
The Red Cross is proud to offer Reconnection Workshops to service members, veterans and their families, including children and teens, to help ease the transition home and build communication and coping skills. It’s only because of the support of people like you that we are able to keep these workshops 100 percent free to those impacted by military deployment.
Your gift will help returning service members get the support they need to live full, connected lives. You’ll also be helping to send the powerful message that we stand with our military families not only during deployment, but also during the days and months following their return home.
Thank you for everything you do for our military heroes, this Memorial Day and every day.
Who is hungry for some pizza?!
We are excited to announce that Pizza Guys is kicking off a Red Cross Giving Day Campaign tomorrow! The campaign begins on Friday, April 15 and runs through Red Cross Giving Day on April 21.
Pizza Guys has 61 stores participating in the campaign located throughout Northern and Central California, as well as Oregon and Nevada. Throughout the campaign, Pizza Guys employees will as
k customers if they would like to make a donation to the Red Cross at the register. Customers will also have the opportunity to donate to the Red Cross through the Pizza Guys website.
The best part is that on Giving Day, 50% of online Large and X-Large pizza sales on pizzaguys.com will be donated to the Red Cross when customers use coupon code: REDCROSS at checkout.
Please help us spread the word! Encourage family, friends and colleagues to get a Pizza Guys this week and on Giving Day.
For more information, please contact Chelsea.Fahr@redcross.org.
A conversation with Fito Ruano, Red Cross Volunteer
By Jesus Sanchez, Public Affairs Volunteer
There was civil war in El Salvador in 1984. Soldiers were everywhere trying to recruit men to fight, “I was 15 years old and I didn’t want to kill people,” said Fito siting at a table in a local coffee shop in Turlock.
I asked Fito how he came to be a Red Cross volunteer, he told me how one day he was recruited by the state National Army and put on a truck en-route to an army base… “So what I did, as we were passing the market… I jumped out of the (army) truck and I ran to the Red Cross.” He hoped they could help.
“The soldiers chased me through the market to the Red Cross. When I got there, my friend, told the soldiers not to take me or he would call the international Red Cross.”
A few days later, he returned to the Red Cross and asked the workers how he could join.
The Red Cross continued to save Fito from joining the army, in one occasion Red Cross workers went into the army base to get him back when they found out he had been taken. That was more than 30 years ago and Fito, now 47, continues to volunteer for the Red Cross.
The Red Cross in El Salvador or Cruz Roja Salvadoreña is very involved with the community. As one of the most important pre-hospital services in the country, the organization responds to everyday accidents as well as large scale disasters. In those days, the civil war between government guerrillas and paramilitary forces together with high levels of poverty throughout the country resulted in a dire need for Red Cross services. Fito saw the need and recognized the opportunities to help within the organization.
Over the next couple of years he received training, becoming certified in first response as well as Search & Rescue.
As Fito showed me old photographs of his early days volunteering with the Red Cross, he admits: “there are happy times and there are sad times with the Red Cross.” Some of those sad times where the loss of fellow volunteers to the war. “Wearing a Red Cross t-shirt or logo doesn’t mean bullets aren’t going through your body,” explained Fito.
Ultimately it was this chronic violence and the lack of opportunities in his homeland that took Mr. Ruano to move to the United States in 1989.
Fito is energetic and speaks a slightly accented English. He is quick to smile and a conversation with him reveals a profound commitment to the welfare of others. A commitment he developed as a young man and one that would positively affect those around him time after time. He recalls how he jumped into action on October 17, 1989. He was in San Francisco when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook the city.
Fito used his Red Cross training in Search and Rescue, joined rescue teams and helped those trapped in the rubble.
I first met Fito at a community outreach event where I handed out Red Cross pins and toy ambulances to kids while he educated parents on disaster preparedness and first aid. He’s also a part of the Disaster Action Team (DAT) and helps teach courses for the Red Cross Modesto office.
Fito enjoys teaching what he’s learned over the years as a volunteer and shared how he is now a local celebrity guest on Spanish Radio shows in the area. His hope is to energize the Latino community to get involved and develop their emergency plan in case of a disaster.
Fito has been involved in responding to many national disasters including Hurricane Katrina. He is a visible figure within the Red Cross and his efforts have been recognized. Fito appreciates the recognition, but explains that Red Cross volunteers do what they do because they love it. He added that the presence of the Red Cross in his life during hard times has made a lasting impact that he hopes to pay forward. “I will be with the Red Cross for as long as I live, I’m not planning to retire from volunteering.”
This past Saturday, February 6, 2016, Red Cross volunteers gathered around to knock on doors and help save lives at the Columbia Sky Mobile Home Park in Tuolumne County.
Together with the Tuolumne Fire Department about a dozen volunteers met on the brisk Saturday morning to participate in the first Home Fire Campaign canvassing event in that county.
The day could not have been better, even the deer were out to greet the volunteers and the Columbia mobile home park residents were friendly and receptive.
“All of the volunteers really enjoyed visiting with the seniors,” said Debbie Calcotte, Disaster Program Manager with the American Red Cross Gold Country Region.
In all, volunteers visited 39 homes and installed 51 smoke alarms.
“This was a great kick-off canvassing event for Tuolumne County,” said Lilly Wyatt, Communications Director. “But, we would not have been able to get in to talk to so many individuals and families if it wasn’t for the partnership and collaboration of the Tuolumne Fire Department.”
Anyone is encouraged to sign up and volunteer for future canvassing events across the 24-county Gold Country region of the American Red Cross. Training is provided.
“Today’s event was encouraging,” added JoLynn Miller, Red Cross volunteer. “We heard stories from the people we were visiting on how they actually support the Red Cross with donations and how grateful they were to the teams for being there today.”
The young fire cadets we’re also thrilled to talk to the community about how important fire safety was and help them with fire escape plans and routes.
Data shows that the 4% of homes without smoke alarms represent nearly 40% of the home fires, and that working smoke alarms can double someone’s chance of surviving a fire. That’s why, the American Red Cross is continuing the multi-year Home Fire Campaign, which aims to reduce home fire deaths and injuries by 25 percent by the end of 2019.
The Red Cross also is asking every household in America to join us in taking the two simple steps that can save lives: checking their existing smoke alarms and practicing fire drills at home.
We are in Sonora next Saturday.
Check our our Home Fire Campaign Album on Flickr with images from some of the canvassing events we’ve participated in. 🙂
At 12:30 am early Wednesday morning the phone rang and the cheerful but very dreary voice of Debbie Calcote was saying hello. I recognized her voice immediately and knew that Debbie would only be calling me if she had exhausted all other options. Sure nuff – that was the case.
OK I said, I’ll go to Woodland…..Woodland?? Michael Reeves from Sacramento was my partner and he arrived about 1:05 am, 10 minutes before me. He had called me and said that the location had no fire equipment and no clients. “Holed on” I said, I’ll be there in 10 minutes and I was.
The street was wet and outside both the front and back doors there was evidence of burned debris being thrown out. The smell of smoke was fresh but no clients and no fire department…..so I called Debbie. No contact info for the clients who said that they would stick around and wait for us. Which they did not.
Fortunately (use of that word is debatable) for Debbie – she had just received another request for a DAT response to Knights Landing. “Where is Knights Landing” I said and Debbie said “I don’t know.” Great…I’m thinking it is down in the delta somewhere…..so I punched the address into my navigation system and fortunately it said that the address was only 20 minutes away. It was now about 1:30 am when Michael and I headed to Knights Landing.
We arrived at about 2:00 am to find a single woman standing near her burned out mobile home. Temperature about 35°F. Luckily the trailer park manager allowed us to use her tiny office to do the paperwork. Our client’s options were few so we helped her with lodging, food and clothing, comfort kit and well wishes. We do not carry street sheets for every county nor lists of hotels and perhaps we can put that on the web somewhere so it would be accessible to anyone in need (or perhaps it is already available and I just don’t have the info).
We departed at 3:00 am and I was home at 4:00 am to enter the paperwork and hit the sack by 5:00 am this morning. Sleep was compromised because the house was very, very cold – turns out the heating system went out and the temperature outside was a cool 34°F. Fortunately is was only in the low 60s inside. Long story short – heater repair is now scheduled for tomorrow – Thursday. Burrrr.
Very glad that we were able to help the one client. Hopefully She is sleeping somewhere warm tonight. Our electric blankets will be on high.
My very best to all …. and to all a good night.
November 11 is Veterans Day. It is a day to remember and celebrate our men and women who have served in uniform. It also gives us a chance to reflect on the origins of the Red Cross—serving combat wounded on the Civil War battlefields.
Our service does not end there. We have also met many of our volunteers across the country who take off their military uniform, and continue to serve as veterans.
We want to specially recognize those that serve the Gold Country region with passion and dedication; especially, our Service to the Armed Forces Mr. Tobrin Hewitt who leads that department with energy and a positive outlook.
What our Future Holds
The Red Cross is the second oldest Congressionally-chartered Veteran Service Organization, and the oldest Congressionally-chartered Veteran Service Organization non-profit, with more than 150 registered and Red Cross chapter-affiliated Veteran Benefits Advisors representing thousands of Veterans.
This Veterans Day, and every day…we will continue to be always by their side.
Gold Country News and Notes 