Spring in the Okanogan, an area of Washington State that has seen repeated years of damage from wildfires. By Gordon Williams As Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz knows a thing or two about wildfires. When she calls the state’s wildfire situation a “crisis” that is “getting worse”, it is a warning worth paying … Continue reading How to stay safe in a busier-than-normal wildfire season
National Lifesaving Award for Walla Walla teen
By Emily Thornton, Red Cross Volunteer (left to right) Jacob Pribilsky, athletic trainer Kelsey Brennan, and Colby Turner. (photo courtesy Colby) By Emily Thornton He said he just walked over to talk to a friend who had just finished his 400-meter race, one Saturday afternoon at Walla Walla High School. Little did 18-year-old senior Colby Turner … Continue reading National Lifesaving Award for Walla Walla teen
Why these High Schoolers took a class on the Red Cross
The mini-term class visited the Red Cross building in Tacoma, WA, January 2019 By Gordon Williams On a regular school day, students at three innovative sister high schools in Tacoma might attend classes in graphic design or songwriting or maybe zoology. But for three-and-a-half weeks this January, 44 students from the three schools--Tacoma School of … Continue reading Why these High Schoolers took a class on the Red Cross
Pasco Fire Department Red-Hot
By MARK WALKER The Pasco Fire Department is blazing a trail across south-central Washington with life-saving smoke alarms provided by the American Red Cross. Crews respond to every call for service not only with firefighting and emergency medical supplies, but also carry smoke alarms available through the Red Cross Sound the Alarm Campaign. Whenever appropriate to … Continue reading Pasco Fire Department Red-Hot
Three Cheers for “BigRed”
By Nihit Pokhrel The American Red Cross is revolutionizing adult CPR training with the new BigRed mannequin. BigRed provides instant feedback for learners and increases both the confidence and willingness of a responder to provide care in an emergency situation. The decision to swap out old mannequins for BigRed comes from scientific evidence including the 2015 International … Continue reading Three Cheers for “BigRed”
Red Cross positioning for the future as services, needs grow
By Mark Walker Photos by Don Zanon As demand for services grows, the American Red Cross is studying how to best serve millions of people residing throughout the Northwest. The effort includes best practices for managing disaster and emergency services, and where supplies, offices and other facilities are located. “We’re re-examining the way we stockpile … Continue reading Red Cross positioning for the future as services, needs grow
Use the Great Shakeout to Quake-Proof your Life
By Gordon Williams Editors note: this story originally posted in October 2018. It has been updated to reflect the date of the 2019 Great Shake Out. The Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill is set for Thursday, October 17, 2019. That’s the day when people the world over are supposed to stop what they are doing and … Continue reading Use the Great Shakeout to Quake-Proof your Life
Time to Prepare for the Great Washington Shakeout
By Gordon Williams Schedule yourself to put aside whatever you are doing at precisely 10:18 a.m. on October 18th (10:18 on 10/18) and spend the next 60 seconds dropping, covering and holding on. By doing so, you will be one of the million-plus people in Washington—more than 40 million people worldwide—practicing their earthquake coping skills … Continue reading Time to Prepare for the Great Washington Shakeout
When the Spanish Flu hit Seattle 100 years ago, the Red Cross was there
By Gordon Williams December 1918. Combating influenza in Seattle, Washington, at work in the Red Cross rooms in Seattle, Washington with influenza masks on faces. Mention the American Red Cross and you think of aiding disaster victims, collecting blood and teaching first aid. Those are all functions the Red Cross performs, but in 1918 we … Continue reading When the Spanish Flu hit Seattle 100 years ago, the Red Cross was there
Getting Prepared with Pillowcases
By Nihit Pokhrel This September, as part of National Preparedness Month, the Red Cross is gearing up for different ways to remind us that we must always be prepared. With students going back to school for the academic year, the Pillowcase Project – a preparedness education program for grades 3 through 5 – arrives at … Continue reading Getting Prepared with Pillowcases
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