Get Ready

Although Hurricane Season doesn't officially start until Monday, June 1, youth in Loudoun County are already gearing up to be prepared.

Earlier this week, a Daisy Troop learned what they should do to be prepared when David Chesler, Director of Emergency Services, taught them about building a kit & having a plan.


And, during the winter, local Boy Scouts helped the chapter get ready by inventorying disaster supplies at our off-site storage location. Thanks to all of the wonderful youth volunteers that are making sure THEY are ready when you need us!

Saying Thanks

On Thursday, May 21, the students from Park View High School's Extra Mile club hosted a reception to thank members of the community that provided funding and logistical support which allowed them to attend the Red Cross National Youth Institute in Orlando, Florida. The students decorated the school library with a beach theme (for Orlando, of course!), and had snacks available. After an introduction from the club president, 3 students performed skits based on activities that the club had participated in during the year. The skits included a Homecoming dress made of tin foil so that a student could go to the dance with Can Man (star of the club's fall food drive), a poem in honor of the Savage, MD Red Cross warehouse (location of the club activities for the Inauguration), and a list of things to do with the braided yarn the club sold in recognition of 9/11 (bracelets, hair accessories, and very nice rings!). In addition to David Chesler, Director of Emergency Services, Carol Barbe, the chapter CEO were recognized for their support, as were members of Kids R First, Park View High School's PTSA. The club also thanked people who were not able to attend, and everybody received a DVD with photos from the trip.

Social Media is EVERYWHERE!

The power of the Internet. Who ever imagined that one day you would be able to:


or

heyzap.com - embed games

without leaving the comfort of your own home?

New Call-Out Procedures for Loudoun DAT

Starting real soon now, we will be moving from the manual call-out using teams to an automated system. There will be more information provided at the DAT meeting on Thursday, May 14 at the Ashburn Library. The meeting is from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you cannot attend, please read the message below from David Chesler, and email him (or call the chapter) to give him the information. We want you for Disasters! :)
I wanted to share with you some news concerning notification of DAT members during a disaster in our county. We are moving from our current method (manual telephone callout) to an automated notification. We have selected and are currently testing/implementing a web based Emergency Notification System (ENS). During a disaster we will have the ability to send an automated message to your home, work and/or cell phone number (24x7). The message will provide information such as:

1. Type of disaster/response (ex. House Fire)

2. Address/location of scene (ex. 123 Maple Avenue Purcellville, VA next to the 7-11)

3. General Information (ex. family 2 adults & 2 children, no pets displaced by fire).

4. On scene Red Cross contact (ex. Jon Doe, 703-123-4567)

5. Instructions when arriving at the scene (ex. Report to the Incident Commander or the Battalion Chief).

What makes this system unique is you will have the choice of whether or not to respond to a disaster (based on your availability) by pressing a telephone number key (ex. 1-Yes, 2-No) indicating your response status. This new system will notify you of all of the Chapter’s disaster responses in Loudoun (average 1-3 per month) and the ability to respond to as many as you want.

To add you to DAT please let me know the best number (cell # preferred) to contact (manual telephone callout) you at and your current availability (days or nights & weekends).

House Fire: Ashburn, VA 05/10/09

This morning the Loudoun County Disaster Action Team responded to a single family fire. While the team was not asked to provide monetary assistance, they were able to support the family as they started mapping at a plan for the future. The DAT team supported the family as they worked with the fire department, and their insurance company.

Introducing the Loudoun Red Cross

An Interview with the Loudoun County Chapter of the American Red Cross

Name: Loudoun Red Cross
Birth Date: 3/9/1917
Birthplace: Leesburg, Virginia (Loudoun County)
Age: 92

What is a typical work week like?
A typical work week for me is Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. But, because we help people affected by disaster, and provide training in first aid, and CPR, we are often open well into the evening. A lot of times, nobody turns off my lights until after 7:00 p.m. And, there are times that people come back at 3:00 in the morning!

What motivates you to continue this job?
Well, I like helping people. I love watching teenagers get trained to babysit young children safely, and to use CPR or First Aid! I'm also happy to provide a little bit of a haven when people have had a fire or other disaster. Since I have electricity, I can almost always offer a bottle of cold water or a cup of coffee. People drop in all the time to ask questions about disasters or to volunteer. I'm especially happy when we have a lot of volunteers together in one place.

What hobbies do you have?
I like to teach first aid and CPR. I also like to talk about babysitting, and fire safety. I'm very outgoing, so I love going to events around Loudoun County. Just recently, I was invited to the Leesburg Flower and Garden Show, which was a lot of fun. I also go to a lot of parades, and sometimes, I get to go to Washington, D.C. Oh, and I recently started talking to my friends on Facebook.

Who is your favorite historical figure?
I bet you're expecting me to say Clara Barton, aren't you? I also like Commodore Wilbert Longfellow, who pioneered our water safety courses, and Woodrow Wilson, who was the first honorary President of the American Red Cross. So, I'm not sure that I have a favorite historical figure. My favorite people are all the people who volunteer for, and work with, the American Red Cross!

What is your favorite color?
Red... and white, of course.

What is your favorite snack?
I'm partial to cookies and orange juice. We always have those around during blood drives. I also like Heater Meals, especially the vegetarian ones, and coffee.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I love when people come to visit me.