 Red Cross Announces Significant Milestones for Preparedness Including Highest Level of Readiness
St. Louis has distinction of being first Red Cross chapter in America to achieve honor
St. Louis, Thursday, May 22, 2008 – In a press conference held earlier today which included national and local representatives of the American Red Cross, elected officials, business/civic leaders and emergency responders, an update was given on the “Prepare Greater St. Louis” Initiative launched in 2004. Significant milestones were also announced, including major news that the St. Louis Area Chapter has achieved High Level III Readiness. This is the highest level of disaster readiness that a Chapter can achieve on its own. St. Louis is the first Red Cross chapter in America to reach this high level of disaster readiness.
“I want to congratulate the St. Louis Area Chapter for being the first Red Cross chapter in the nation to achieve High Level III Readiness,” said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President, Preparedness and Response, American National Red Cross. “This accomplishment is a testament to the breadth and depth of disaster volunteers who give of their time and talents to the St. Louis Area Chapter. And, it speaks well of the leaders in your community for their ability to assemble the manpower, resources, emergency supplies, shelter agreements and community partnerships needed to immediately take care of up to 600 families following a disaster.”
In 2004, the St. Louis Area Chapter joined state and local emergency response partners in launching an aggressive, strategic initiative designed to elevate St. Louis area emergency and disaster preparedness levels over the next five years. The plan, “Prepare Greater St. Louis,” consisted of two tracks to measure Red Cross preparedness: Track One: Personal Preparedness – helping individuals, and their families, to understand and embrace personal preparedness with education and advance planning; Track Two: Red Cross Readiness - the local chapter’s ability to respond swiftly and efficiently when disasters strike. At the time, it was determined that the most significant resource needed to accomplish this plan was the recruitment and training of 400 additional Red Cross disaster volunteers.
Less than four years later, many of the goals outlined in the “Prepare Greater St. Louis” Initiative have been reached and, in some cases, surpassed. In 2004, results of a Red Cross/Wirthlin Worldwide national poll revealed that two in 10, or 20 percent, of Americans felt very prepared for a catastrophic event. Today, these figures have jumped to 30 percent, or 3 in 10 people. In 2004, only 10 percent of local households hit the preparedness trifecta: having an emergency plan, emergency supplies and training in first aid and CPR. Today, this number has increased to 15 percent. Another piece of good news is the fact that 82 percent of Americans say they would get prepared if only they knew how. This number has held steady over time, giving the Red Cross an opportunity to really make a difference in helping people get ready for the unexpected.
TRACK ONE – PERSONAL PREPAREDNESS:
The Red Cross recognizes that our community’s level of preparedness must extend beyond government agencies, emergency responders and non-profit organizations in order to be ready for disasters and emergencies. Personal preparedness is the cornerstone of emergency response. As part of the “Prepare Greater St. Louis’” Track One, the Red Cross said it would double its efforts to help people understand and embrace personal preparedness with education. It made a commitment to double its annual disaster education outreach from 40,000 people educated per year in 2004 to 95,000 in 2009. According to statistics for 2008, Red Cross is ahead of schedule reaching 92,000 people per year by the end of June. The local Chapter has also accomplished the following goals set in 2004:
- Made learning CPR and First Aid easier by offering four safety certification courses on-line. In addition, on-line class registration is now available for all classes.
- Launched a new self-guided First Aid and CPR course complete with a workbook, DVD and practice tools for individuals to train themselves.
- Reduced classroom time from 4-6 hours to 1-2 hours to accommodate people with busy schedules.
- Taught people how to build their own supply kits and made ready-made kits available on-line and on location at reasonable prices.
“Preparedness is the key to responding to the unexpected. The recent destruction and massive loss of life caused by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the major 7.9 earthquake in China prove that natural and man-made disasters can occur at any time, on any given day,” said Vivian Luce, Chair of the St. Louis Area Chapter Board of Directors. “People need to know how to take care of themselves and their families when tragedy strikes. Red Cross training gives them the skills, as well as the peace of mind in knowing they’ve done their best to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
In 2004, Red Cross said it would tackle personal preparedness in a new way. After two years of development, a new Red Cross Ready Rating™ Program was launched in February 2008. It was based on these results obtained by extensive reach:
- 75 percent of St. Louis-area residents said it was important for their employers to be recognized by the American Red Cross for taking steps to be prepared
- 50 percent of them said it was extremely or very important to know the same about local stores and businesses where they shop
- 81 percent of them with school-age children said it would be extremely or very important to know that their child’s school had been recognized by the Red Cross for taking specific emergency preparedness measures.
The Ready Rating Program is a first-of-its kind, web-based emergency preparedness program that not only guides businesses, organizations and schools through the preparation process, but also recognizes them for doing so with its unique membership model. What’s different and powerful about this program is the fact that preparedness can be measurable and visible. To learn more about the five-step process used to help members improve their readiness, visit www.readyrating.redcrossstl.org. Membership in the Ready Rating Program is annual with the expectation that members increase their preparedness scores on a yearly basis. Members in good standing are encouraged to display the Ready Rating Seal.
As the Founding Sponsor, Anheuser-Busch has made a substantial commitment to this Ready Rating Program. The company helped launch the pilot program in the Greater St. Louis community. After receiving rave reviews, Ready Rating has been adopted by the American National Red Cross to roll-out nationally by 2010. Since its inception 12 weeks ago, 33 businesses, organizations and schools are Ready Rating Members. Thirty additional prospective members have requested agreements.
TRACK TWO – RED CROSS READINESS:
Track Two of the “Prepare Greater St. Louis” Initiative focused on implementing an aggressive five-year strategic plan to increase the region’s disaster response status to High Level III Readiness. This is the highest level of readiness that a Red Cross chapter can achieve on its own. It means a chapter has the capacity to take care of 600 families after a disaster occurs before assistance arrives from the American National Red Cross and other regional chapters. In 2004, Red Cross officials promised that the St. Louis Area Chapter would be among the first to accomplish this feat. Since then, Homeland Security made this milestone even more imperative, calling for more to upgrade their readiness levels. Additionally, the new 9/11 Commission Act, which went into effect last year, calls for Homeland Security to develop accreditation programs to measure and increase private sector preparedness.
“The Red Cross staff can only take partial credit for this distinctive honor of achieving High Level III Readiness,” said Joseph C. White, Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. “Much of the recognition goes to our disaster volunteers who are at the heart of what we do at the Red Cross. Without their self-less hard work and dedication, as well as the cooperation and support we’ve received from our community partners and local donors, we couldn’t have reached this goal we set in 2004 ahead of schedule. Now that we’ve reached this impressive milestone, we’ll need continued support from the whole community to sustain this level of readiness.”
During the press conference, St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley applauded the St. Louis Area Chapter for achieving High Level III Readiness. “As County Executive, I know the importance of preparedness and emergency response. When we joined together in 2004 to announce “Prepare Greater St. Louis,” a five-year plan, I didn’t know we would be back here in less than four years announcing our success,” said St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley. “As Chair of the East-West Gateway Council, I can tell you that community partnerships with organizations like the Red Cross significantly impact our ability to respond in times of disaster.”
Local community partners who stepped up to fund the “Prepare Greater St. Louis” Initiative and helped the St. Louis area sustain its disaster preparedness and readiness include the following corporations and civic organizations: Edward Jones donated $300,000 through 2010; The Taylor Family donated $250,000; and The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation contributed an additional $250,000. The United Way of Greater St. Louis has been the single greatest contributor in the Chapter’s ability to achieve the highest level of readiness, continuing to provide substantial support for Red Cross disaster and health and safety services programs.
“We’re grateful for the tremendous support of our business and community partners. It’s one thing to achieve the highest level of readiness. But it’s a completely different ballgame to sustain it for any length of time. That’s why we need the whole community to rally around our efforts to maintain St. Louis’ reputation as being one of the best prepared cities in our nation for disasters and emergencies,” added White. “We need more volunteers to give of their time helping others, we need more people trained in CPR and other lifesaving skills, and we need more support from our business and community partners to enhance their emergency preparedness.”
About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter:
Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter celebrates 91 years of dedicated service, providing emergency relief and preparedness training more than 446,600 times each year. The Red Cross is a charity, not a government agency, and depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, services to military personnel and support for blood services. The Chapter, a United Way agency, provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe, St. Clair (including Scott Air Force Base) and part of Madison County in Illinois. All disaster relief services are provided free of charge thanks to the generosity of the American people. To learn more about Red Cross programs, volunteer opportunities, and how you can help, contact the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or www.redcrossstl.org. |