Charlotte Blaze Displaces 4

An afternoon fire on Guinea Road in Charlotte left four people out of their homes. The fully-involved blaze drew a response from 7 area fire departments.

Red Cross volunteer Jeanne Keller (left) and Regional Volunteer Manager Angela Russell (right) help David Stewart of Charlotte and a fellow firefighter with some hot coffee.

Volunteers Alex Fuchs and Allan Hunt met with the two displaced couples to help assess their emergency needs. Temporary lodging and financial assistance for food and clothing was provided.

We are fortunate to have a corps of volunteers that find ways to drop what is going on in their lives to help those in need after a disaster strikes. Thanks to Jeanne, Allan and Alex and to all of those volunteers who help us respond to a fire or other disaster on average once every three days throughout the year.

Volunteers Train to Help Others

It isn't only our experienced volunteers that show incredible dedication. This past weekend, new volunteers interested in client casework gave several hours of their time to learn about this vital component of Red Cross disaster services.

Client casework is often at the heart of how the American Red Cross interacts with individuals and families impacted by disaster. The Red Cross recognizes that recovery begins the moment a disaster strikes. Sometimes on scene at a house fire, with firefighters still combatting the blaze, our caseworkers provide comfort and support. Many are reassured just seeing the iconic Red Cross logo on a volunteers vest, hat or vehicle. The emotional support provided by our volunteers let disaster victims know they are not alone. The caseworkers assess the disaster victims emergency needs and help establish a recovery plan. Often, these first steps include temporary, emergency lodging and Red Cross financial support for food and clothing. When appropriate, Red Cross disaster health and disaster mental health volunteers are called upon.

Yesterday, volunteers Dorothy Commo and Sue Shulman (left to right in the foreground) and Sophia Parker and Ellen Jarecki (left to right in the background) attended a client casework class taught by veteran disaster action team member Michele Packard.

It is crucial that we continual train new volunteers, including those with an interest in client case work. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help, go to www.redcrossvtnhuv.org or e-mail our volunteer manager, Angela Russell, at arussell@nvtredcross.org.

Volunteers Respond to Call in Burke

While many people may see the work of the Red Cross during our response to large scale events such as Vermont's Spring flooding or Tropical Storm Irene, most of the work of our volunteers is done out of the spotlight and with little fanfare.

To a family who has lost their home, it doesn't much matter whether it was swept away by a raging river or lost to fire. Each family must start the process of recovery and the Red Cross is there to help. Most recently, at 2:30 a.m. this morning, the call came in that fire crews were combatting a fire in Burke, Vermont. Two members of the Caledonia Disaster Action team answered the call.

Today's devastating fire forced a Burke Hollow Road couple and their dog from their home and left them without a place to stay and their possessions were caught in the blaze. The Red Cross volunteers met with the couple to determine their immediate needs, arranging for a few nights lodging at a local hotel and providing some financial assistance. The aim of both is to help the family in the initial phase of recovery from their personal disaster.

In addition to work assisting the displaced family, the Red Cross volunteers provided rehabilitative support to the fire and other first responders. Such support is in the form of food and beverages to help those crews through their difficult work.

Over 100 times a year, Red Cross volunteers in our region are answering the call for help, whether it is a fire, flood, or other natural or man-made disaster. We owe a great deal to these dedicated and compassionate volunteers.

2012 begins just as 2011 went out ... BUSY!

Red Cross disaster services volunteers provided 9 responses in the closing 2 weeks of 2011. For 2012, at least so far, it looks a lot like more of the same. Fortunately, that includes the continued compassion of those very busy volunteers.

In just the first 4 days of 2012, Disaster Action Teams have deployed to the scene of fires in Chittenden, Caledonia, Orleans and Windham counties. In each instance, the primary interest is to ensure that those affected by these disasters know that a helping hand is there should they need it. In those instances where assistance was requested, our volunteers have also provided support to first responders who battled these blazes.

Winter brings both the cold temperatures and the stark reality that home fires are the single most common disaster across the country. While the cause of each of these recent fires is not known, it is important to note that heating fires are the second leading cause of home fires. Nationally, nearly half of American families use alternative heating sources such as space heaters, fireplaces, or wood/coal stoves to stay warm; a figure that is likely higher in Vermont.

Fire Prevention Tips

• Keep all potential sources of fuel like paper, clothing, bedding or rugs at least three feet away from space heaters, stoves, or fireplaces.
• Portable heaters and fireplaces should never be left unattended. Turn off space heaters and make sure any embers in the fireplace are extinguished before going to bed or leaving home.
• If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, hard and nonflammable surface, not on rugs or carpets or near bedding or drapes.
• When buying a space heater, look for models that shut off automatically if the heater falls over as another safety measure.
• Never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home.
• Keep fire in your fireplace by using a glass or metal screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
• Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, and furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned once a year.

Visit www.redcross.org/homefires for more information on how to prevent heating fires.

5 Fires In 1 Weekend

The winter months usually prove the most eventful for our disaster services volunteers and if this weekend is any indicator, this pattern is set to repeat itself. In just two days, volunteers on our Disaster Action Teams across the region responded to 5 disasters.

A fire in Canaan, NH met with tragic results with the death of one person. Our volunteers reached out to the survivor of that tragedy to ensure that in addition to traditional services, such as lodging, food and clothing, they knew that we could offer disaster health and mental health services. The other four responses, ranging from a mobile home fire to a multi-family dwelling to a boiler explosion, brought devastating results to 7 families in just a two day period.

With generous support of donors and tireless work of volunteers, we were able to let all of the affected families and individuals know that their community, through the work of the Red Cross, is their with some support. If you want to be part of this response, either as a volunteer or a donor, contact us at 802-660-9130.

Shelter Initiative Receives Generous Boost

This is the time of year in which Sentinel Investments traditionally thanks its top producing representatives with a gift. Well, we all know that this has not been your average year. The Montpelier-based asset managment firm knows just how devastated its home state has been by natural disasters, first with the record-breaking spring flooding and then the historic destruction of Tropical Storm Irene.

Foregoing the gifts that they would distribute to their representatives, Sentinel has made an investment in preparedness here in Vermont. With a gift of $15,000, Sentinel has given their support for the local community shelter initiative being undertaken by the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross.

The shelter initiative, which was an idea already under consideration before Irene, came quickly into focus when the widespread,destructive forces of Irene demonstrated a need for heighten levels of community preparedness. While the Red Cross opened up 13 shelters across the region, some sheltering needs could not be immediately addressed.

Now, the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross intends to provide shelter equipment and training to Vermont's 251 communities and the 12 we serve in New Hampshire's Upper Valley. The idea is that every town will have some capacity to shelter its residents and the ability to deploy those assets until the help of the Red Cross and others can arrive.

Thank you to Sentinel for their generosity and foreshight to help build a stronger future for Vermont and New Hampshire's Upper Valley.

Help and Hope Delivered after Thanksgiving Fires

Thanksgiving was a tough day for several families across our region this year. However, the burdens faced by 5 families were made a little bit lighter through the help provided by local Red Cross disaster services volunteers.

In St. Albans, VT, 4 families lost their homes to an early morning fire on Lincoln Avenue. Five members of the Franklin County Disaster Action Team (DAT) responded, placing their own plans for the day on hold to help those in need. The DAT members opened the gym at St. Albans City Hall to provide a warm place for the displaced families and for the folks in the neighborhood who lost power for several hours that morning. The emergency needs of the 4 affected families was determined and help, including lodging and financial assistance for food and clothing, was provided as needed. DAT members also supported the first responders by having food and coffee at the scene.

Unfortunately, fire also struck in Newbury, VT, displacing a family of 3 early Thanksgiving morning. Members of the Upper Valley Disaster Action Team were called into action and provided assistance for food, seasonal clothing, and more. In response to both the St. Albans and Newbury fires, our disaster services volunteers were also sure to make referrals to state and community resources that would help each of the displaced families to take their next step in the recovery process.

All of this assistance was provided without charge to the families devastated by these fires. The support was available through the financial generosity of donors across our region and the generosity of time from our dedicated volunteers.

We are certainly thankful for all of our volunteers and the work they do throughout the year.