Red Cross Challenges Washington-Area Organizations To Implement Emergency Plans; Red Cross offers Emergency Preparedness Tool Kit for Small to Medium-sized Organizations

Business Wire, Dec 11, 2002

Business Editors & News Directors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2002

The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area challenged organizations in the Washington metropolitan area today to become partners in preparedness by preparing for disaster now both personally and professionally. Linda C. Mathes, CEO of the National Capital Area Chapter, issued this challenge at the Council of Government's annual meeting and special issue conference during her keynote address to nearly 250 government, business and nonprofit leaders in the DC metro area.

Mathes also unveiled the Emergency Preparedness Tool Kit for Small to Medium-Sized Organizations, a comprehensive, free preparedness tool for area organizations. The Tool Kit is one of the first activities of a major preparedness campaign slated for launch in Spring 2003, which will focus on challenging every individual in the Washington metro are to build a kit, make an emergency plan and get trained in first aid, CPR, and how to use an automated external defibrillator. The Red Cross is now offering 2000 of these kits free of charge to organizations with less than 100 employees.

"Located in and near our nation's capital, local organizations must be aware of the unique and critical role they play in ensuring the safety of their employees and customers in the case of an emergency," said Mathes. "The Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Tool Kit is a free resource to help small to medium-sized organizations get and stay prepared."

According to Federal OSHA regulations, all employers with more than ten employees in one location must have a written emergency response plan and must train all employees in the actions they must take when the response plan is activated.

Opera America, a local nonprofit located four blocks from The White House, recently implemented the Red Cross tool kit, and according to Blake Howard, managing director of operations for the organization, "Now when anything happens I know exactly where to look, exactly who to call and it takes no time at all to get information. There is a whole system of communications and people know exactly what their roles are and who to go to," she emphasized. As a membership organization that supports the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera, she continued, "Opera America would not have had the time or resources to put together and implement the emergency plans provided by the American Red Cross."

Encouraging collaboration and partnership between businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations is at the heart of the Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Tool Kit. The kit is designed to help individual organizations prepare for disaster, but it encourages effective community preparedness by asking organizations to team up with other entities in their area.

About the Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Toolkit

Following the events of September 11, 2001, the Harvard Business School Alumni, Community Services Initiative, came to the National Capital Area Chapter of the Red Cross with a desire to get involved in local preparedness initiatives. The collaboration resulted in the development and publication of the Emergency Preparedness Toolkit for Small to Medium-Sized Organizations, funded by Washington Grantmakers and Cisco Systems. The toolkit offers organizations step-by-step instructions on how to organize disaster supplies, guidelines and checklists, emergency plans and employee training in first aid, CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) usage.

Small and medium-sized organizations interested in implementing the toolkit should call 202-728-6402 for additional information. The National Capital Area Chapter is issuing the first 2,000 toolkits free of charge, and will host six toolkit training workshops through May 2003. Participants will receive step-by-step instruction on how to implement the tool kit within their organization.

About The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area

The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area provides humanitarian services to people throughout Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, Md., Fairfax County, Va., and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, Va.

About The American Red Cross

Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of local community supporters-volunteers, blood donors, and financial donors-organized into nearly 1,000 chapters, Blood Services regions and field units dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by 1.2 million volunteers and 36,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 67,000 disasters, trains nearly 12 million people in lifesaving skills and exchanges more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts throughout the world.