Preparedness Tips for A-H1N1 Virus

Learn how to be prepared for the A-H1N1 Virus at: http://209.18.123.141/general.asp?SN=3010&OP=5543&IDCapitulo=I2OD6QV708

Review Your Family Red Cross Ready Plans

Now is a great time to review your family Red Cross Ready plans. Visit utahredcross.org for free tips. Call 2-1-1 for local swine flu questions.

Swine Flu Brings Up Important Topic

Good reminder to learn preventative measures and healthy habits

For Immediate Release

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (April 27, 2009)— The American Red Cross in Utah offers free safety tips to prevent the spread of flu in the wake of the 40 cases of the Swine Flu in the U.S, according to the Center For Disease Control as of 1:00 PM ET, today.

Red Cross CEO, Maxine Margaritis, said, “This is a very good reminder for all of us. The American Red Cross has excellent tips on prevention and health. People need to know how to prevent becoming ill, what to do if they become sick, what they need to do if they must care for someone who is sick.”

The American Red Cross recommends following these simple steps to prevent the spread of a disease:

· Wash hands frequently with soap and water or a hand sanitizer

· Avoid or minimize contact with sick people (a minimum 3 feet distancing is recommended.)

· Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

· Cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the crooke of your elbow

· Stay away from others as much as possible when you are sick.

Also, stay healthy, adopt good business policies that encourage employees/students to stay home when sick and get a flu shot every year. Please follow health and travel recommendations from your local Health authorities and the CDC. For more information and free tips on how to be Red Cross Ready to prevent the spread of the flu, visit utahredcross.org.

For updates and additional information on swine flu check with:

Utah Department of Health www.health.utah.gov/

Salt Lake Valley Health www.slvhealth.org

And the Center for Disease Control www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

The American Red Cross in Utah www.utahredcross.org

Red Cross Lifeguard Competition

Lifeguards from across the state of Utah meet in Kearns to compete in lifesaving skills in the American Red Cross Lifeguard Games July 18th

For immediate release

Kearns, Utah (May 1, 2009) -- The American Red Cross will hold the 2009, 14th Annual Lifeguard Games at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center on Saturday, July 18th from 7:30 am to 11:30. Lifeguard Andrew Arnold of Farmington was a member of the winning team from South Davis Recreation Center last year. Andrew is 20 years old and has been lifeguarding for 5 years, he said he highly recommends this event, “I would encourage every pool to send lifeguards to this event, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The drills made us practice all of the important skills that a lifeguard needs and it required us to think outside of our training and to figure out what to do with our patients.” Red Cross Health and Safety Director, Mary Matthiessen explains, “This event is a great way for lifeguards to practice their skills in a non-life threatening environment. They can take what they practice here back to their own individual pools and put them into practice.”

Matthiessen, said, “Lifeguarding is much more than working on a good tan. When individuals and families come to swim at their pools they can be assured that a trained lifeguard will be there to help them in their time of need.” About 200 lifeguards from around the state compete in the Lifeguard Games. Six-person, co-ed teams show off their skills, as the Red Cross honors the important work of lifeguards in protecting the lives of Utahns.

Drowning remains the second leading cause of death from unintentional injuries for youths ages 5 to 24, according to the National Safety Council. The majority of these deaths occur in water that is not being monitored by trained lifeguards.

The American Red Cross has been the leader in water safety and lifeguard training since 1914.

About the American Red Cross in Utah: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; teaches lifesaving skills; supplies blood to 30 area hospitals; and supports military members and their families. The organization also provides emergency utility assistance and international family tracing services. The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization, not a government funded agency, which depends entirely upon volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. Donate your time or resources to your local Chapter. Salt Lake Area 801-323-7000 or visit www.utahredcross.org, Provo Area (801) 373-8580 www.redcrossut.org, Ogden Area (801) 627-0000, www.redcrossutah.org.

Caption for photo: left to right on the back row is Andrew Arnold, Sagen Smith, Jeralyn Turnblom. The front row is Nalu Medeiros, Steve Platt. More photos available in high resolution. This photo courtesy Kearns Oquirrh Park.

Red Cross Volunteers

To read personal stories about Red Cross volunteers, heroes and disaster victims http://tinyurl.com/redcrossstories

Red Cross Babysitter Training

The Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross encourages all babysitters to take the Red Cross Babysitter’s Training course. Youth ages 11-15 are invited to take the class. Red Cross safety experts teach babysitters first aid, choking, and other safety skills. Having a Red Cross Babysitter’s Training certification is also a great way for kids to market themselves for babysitting jobs. The course offers the knowledge, skills, and confidence to care for infants and school-aged children. The cost is $35 and the class runs 6 hours and 45 minutes.

This course includes a participant handbook, CD-ROM, activities, hands-on training and group discussion on the following topics:

• Responding to emergencies and illnesses with first aid, rescue breathing and other appropriate care
• Managing young children
• Making decisions under pressure
• Recognizing safety and hygiene issues
• Feeding, changing diapers and other care for infants
• Communicating with parents to learn household rules

For more info call 801-323-7014 or visit www.utahredcross.org or go right to this link for the class description and the schedule: http://tinyurl.com/gslac-babysitter

Red Cross Helps Young Mother After Building Collapse

caption: Regina Ordendain and her 2 month old baby Laila in the Red Cross Shelter

Young mother, Regina Ordendain, appreciated having a warm, safe place to spend the night for herself and her 2 month old baby after she was evacuated from her apartment building in the middle of the night on April 16^th due a structural collapse. Regina told the Red Cross, “I was so glad to have a place to sleep! I was tired and the baby slept great through this whole thing.” The Red Cross provided shelter to 11 people who were displaced in the early morning hours after hearing loud cracking sounds and feeling their building drop 6 inches below them.

The Red Cross will be helping Regina and up to 40 additional people affected by the evacuation in the coming days if they need shelter, food, clothing or assistance finding a new place to live.

caption: Sky Ibarra left, Cassandra Coplin 8 months pregnant center and Regina Ordendain and her baby Laila in the Red Cross Shelter.

She and her neighbors and friends Sky Ibarra and Cassandra Coplin were all forced out of the building at about 2:00 in the morning. A Disaster Action Team of volunteers were on the scene right away to offer comfort and help with immediate, essential needs. Sky and Cassandra were very grateful to the Red Cross for setting up a shelter in the middle of the night and offering them a place to stay and showing them that someone cared. Cassandra, who is 8 months pregnant was especially grateful for a nice, big breakfast this morning.

The Red Cross is fielding calls from many of the residents today who may need help.

After lunch, the shelter will close today. The building management has located several vacant apartments for the evacuees to move into. The building management will borrow cots from the Red Cross for a few days.

Smith’s Marketplace graciously donated breakfast and lunch for the evacuees at the shelter today.

Willie The Parrot Saves Baby's Life!

Not pictured: Willie.

Polly wanna Heimlich?

Animals hold our very existence in the palms of their little claws, and at any time they can choose to end us forever. Don't believe me? In another example of the watch they keep over us, a parrot named Willie saved a girl by alerting humans to the fact that she was choking.

When Willie's owner foolishly left the room of a child she was babysitting, the toddler started choking on her breakfast. Willie, alerted by his superior animal instincts, began squawking "Mama, baby" while flapping his wings until the babysitter returned. By then little Hannah had already turned blue, as happens when babies can't breathe, and Ms. Babysitter proceeded to perform CPR.

Luckily, Hannah came to, and the world has since bestowed upon little Willie the title of hero. At a "Breakfast of Champions" in his hometown of Denver, he was given the local Red Cross chapter's Animal Lifesaver Award.

Kudos to little Willie - more animals (and people) could learn from your fine example!

Read the story at http://www.limelife.com/blog-entry/Willie-The-Parrot-Saves-Babys-Life/3655.html

Italy's Worst Quake In Nearly 30 Years

Italy's worst Quake in nearly 30 years strikes city of L'Aquila At 3:30 a.m. a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale struck the city of L'Aquila in central Italy, 120 km northeast of Rome. According to the ANSA news agency, the earthquake killed 100 people and injured 1,500 as buildings and homes in a walled medieval town were reduced to rubble. The Italian Red Cross reports the numbers of dead and injured are expected to grow. Tens of thousands of people have become homeless in the city which has a population of 70'000. The Italian Red Cross rescue teams were on the scene of the disaster within an hour after the earthquake struck. It is presently scaling up personnel and equipment in the affected area to reinforce capacity for search and rescue, as well as meals and blankets for the survivors. The Italian Red Cross is on full alert and active in health, first aid, logistics and humanitarian relief. It also established a field hospital to relieve the burden on local health facilities which are under an enormous strain due to the sudden upsurge in demand. Italian Red Cross has also quickly set up mobile kitchens with the capacity to provide 10,000 meals a day run by a team of with a team of 16 Italian Red Cross staff and 30 volunteers. Two soup kitchens providing 200-400 meals a day have been set up to respond to the needs of L'Aquila Hospital which is being evacuated. Thirty six ambulances from the Italian Red Cross are on rotation to evacuate injured people from L'Aquila to the Hospitals in Tagliacozzo, Pescina and Avezzano and it is also evacuating an orphanage in San Gregorio and will ensure care is provided for all the children. Additionally, five psychological support teams from the Italian Red Cross are now operational on the ground. Additional means and resources are ready to be sent, depending on needs, including 30 search and rescue dog units, five psychological support teams and three veterinary teams. With up to 10,000 buildings in the city expected to be badly damaged if not destroyed, the Italian Red Cross foresees growing problems with shelter, warm clothes and food provisions for the survivors. "Once we have addressed the need to reinforce emergency health care in the region, the next major challenge, apart from urgent search and rescue, is to find a solution for the thousands of homeless survivors" according to Tommasso Della Longa, head of Communication for the Italian Red Cross who is on the spot. Further mobilisation of resources is being organised. A national appeal calling for solidarity with the population hit by the earthquake is going to be issued on the Italian Red Cross website. Working in close co-ordination with the Italian Civil Protection, the Italian Red Cross has activated its national operations centre, as well as four regional ones, bringing the considerable capacity of the organisation to effectively address the needs of the population. Since 1968 the International Federation and member National Societies have supported the Italian Red Cross three times after earthquakes in 1968, 1976 and in 1980. In 1980 some 3000 people lost their lives after a deadly quake hit the region of Naples. In 1992 a quake in Umbria claimed 13 lives and countless cultural treasures. The most recent deadly quake was in 2002 when 30 people died, including 27 pupils and their teacher, in the southern Italian town of San Giuliano di Puglia.

For more information stay tuned to www.redcross.org.

Fire In Midvale Affects 2 Families

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (April 1, 2009) – The snow was coming down hard this morning in Midvale as two families watched their homes go up in flames. An American Red Cross Disaster Action Team was on the scene to help the 2 families with 6 individuals affected by the fire that blazed through their duplex homes. Volunteers Ashley Hodges, Bob Kelleher and Betty Moore helped the families, assessed their needs and offered assistance with immediate services like shelter, food and counseling if desired. Bob Kelleher said, “One of the families had just found out they had a death in their family and then coincidentally, had to deal with the trauma of this fire and losing everything they had. There were also several pets that are now missing from the two homes. ” The volunteer team leader, Ashley Hodges said, “They lost everything, these homes are totally destroyed.” The fire occurred at 7670 S. 415 E.

The Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross responds to up to 100 incidents each year, some of them render multiple families homeless. Nationwide, the American Red Cross’s local chapters help victims of major and minor disasters by offering immediate comfort, which may include food, a warm place to stay, clothing and other life necessities. Volunteers give comfort kits to victims of fire, flood or other disasters. The kits include helpful items like toothbrushes, toothpaste and a toy for children.

If you’d like to help, financial donations are always accepted to help victims of this fire and other disasters in your community. For more information about donating to the Chapter Emergency Services please go to www.utahredcross.org or call 801.323.7000.

Red Cross Fun/Fundraiser with Utah Grizzlies

This Saturday, April 4^th at 7:00 pm, the Utah Grizzlies Battle Alaska at the E Center. It is the last hockey match of the season!!!! The hockey match will also serve as a special Red Cross fundraiser! Red Cross fans and volunteers will be on hand to offer a couple of fun Red Cross surprises at the event including:

A Red Cross Chuck-a-Puck ! Grizzly fans can buy a few pucks, throw them onto the ice at half time, and whoever gets their puck in the very center of the arena wins prizes! Part of the proceeds go to the local American Red Cross Chapters in Utah!

Pump & Dump – During one of the intermissions, adults and kids can go to the concourse to participate in “Pump & Dump”. You show off your Red Cross CPR skills by pumping – or compressing – a dummy or a nerf-like-ambulance to show off your CPR skills and then you dump out the change from your pockets into a Red Cross donation jug. The CPR experts on hand will let you know if you are compressing correctly and show you how to make a proper CPR compression.

Also, during one of the intermissions you’ll learn a little bit about what the Red Cross does in your community and nationwide Donation cans will be passed through the rows for donations to the national Disaster Relief Fund.

It will be fun. Grizzlies games are fun!

Call me with any questions and I’ll be there that night also, so call my cell if you need me when you get there. 801-707-7535 Susan

Utahn Helps Flood Victims In North Dakota

Salt Lake City, Utah (Tuesday, March 24, 2009) — This morning a Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter Disaster Volunteer is packing his bags and heading to the airport to go help families affected by floods in North Dakota. Sandy Resident Bill Gully, pronounced Gooly, took the call and answered, “Yes. I can go to help.” At 11:30 am, Bill will be taking off from the Salt Lake City International Airport. This Red Cross disaster-trained volunteer will be helping on the front lines of the disaster relief efforts, he will be working in an American Red Cross shelter where he’ll help people with shelter, food, water and comfort kits.

Gully also volunteered his time and efforts to help during last summer’s Midwest floods in Wisconsin and helped people along the Gulf Coast this Fall during the evacuations for Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Two other Salt Lake City area volunteers, Nancy Adams and Kelly Hess are making their plans at the Chapter office this morning to deploy to North Dakota this afternoon. All three of these golden-hearted volunteers will be helping people evacuated by the floods in the Red Cross Shelters!

Bringing Comfort to a Sandy Resident

Sandy, UTAH ( Tuesday, March 17, 2009)— This morning, the Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross is helping a Sandy resident after a fire heavily damaged this individual’s home at about 400 East and 8000 South. An American Red Cross disaster action team volunteer is on the scene to help as needed with essential needs like clothing, food and shelter.

The Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross responds to up to 100 incidents each year, some of them render multiple families homeless. Nationwide, the American Red Cross’s local chapters help victims of major and minor disasters by offering immediate comfort, which may include food, a warm place to stay, clothing and other life necessities. Volunteers give comfort kits to victims of fire, flood or other disasters. The kits include helpful items like toothbrushes, toothpaste and a toy for children.

If you’d like to help, financial donations are always accepted to help victims of this fire and other disasters in your community. For more information about donating to the Chapter Emergency Services please go to www.utahredcross.org or call 801.323.7000.

About the American Red Cross, Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; teaches lifesaving skills; provides blood to 30 area hospitals; and supports military members and their families. The organization also provides emergency utility assistance and international family tracing services. The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization, not a government funded agency, which depends entirely upon volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. Donate your time or resources to the Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross by calling 801-323-7000 or visit www.utahredcross.org.

Red Cross Hero Video

Watch This – Red Cross Hero Pulls His Friend Out of the Wilderness

Helping Those In Need

The American Red Cross Shelters 25 Provo Families

Due to Gas Leak in Downtown Provo

Provo, Utah ( Thursday, March 12, 2009) — Right now the American Red Cross is helping about 25 families after a gas leak forced an evacuation in downtown Provo. The volunteer Disaster Action Team is on the scene. The Red Cross Mountain Valley Chapter’s Garr Judd said, “We are getting these families out of the cold right now. We are working with UTA to shuttle them from the evacuation area to our shelter. We’ll have a warm place for them to stay and will get them a hot meal.” More information will be available soon.

Red Cross Chapters in Utah respond to about 200 incidents each year, some of them render multiple families homeless. Nationwide, the American Red Cross’s local chapters help victims of major and minor disasters by offering immediate comfort, which may include food, a warm place to stay, clothing and other life necessities. Volunteers give comfort kits to victims of fire, flood or other disasters. The kits include helpful items like toothbrushes, toothpaste and a toy for children.

If you’d like to help, financial donations are always accepted to help those affected by this evacuation and other disasters in your community.

About the American Red Cross in Utah:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; teaches lifesaving skills; supplies blood to 30 area hospitals; and supports military members and their families. The organization also provides emergency utility assistance and international family tracing services. The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization, not a government funded agency, which depends entirely upon volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. Donate your time or resources to your local Chapter. Salt Lake Area 801-323-7000 or visit www.utahredcross.org, Provo Area (801) 373-8580 www.redcrossut.org, Ogden Area (801) 627-0000, www.redcrossutah.org.

Today's Featured Heroes

Workplace Good Samaritan – Saving a Life at Zion’s Bank

Belem Jimenez and Robert Storey were helping customers at Zion’s Bank on what started as a typical day in the workplace when they heard a loud thud and saw a customer had collapsed.

An elderly male customer had hit the floor hard. He was struggling to breathe. Belem ran to his side and comforted him. She called out for help, “Does anyone know CPR?” Robert responded and ran to help. He recalls, “He breath was very raspy and his movements were unnatural. He was getting progressively worse and I knew I was witnessing the end of a human life. I was sure he was going to die. His breathing quieted and he stopped struggling. I held my ear to his mouth and listened, placed my fingers on his lips. He wasn’t breathing.” Belem had just taken a CPR class recently herself and Robert had taken CPR many times as an Eagle Scout.

The two of them rolled the man over onto his back and began their lifesaving efforts. All the while Robert was thinking, “This could be someone’s grandpa, someone’s dad.” Robert tipped the man’s chin up, cleared his airway of obstructions. Belem reminded him to pinch the man’s nose, and Robert gave his patient rescue breaths. “It was so natural, I just breathed air into him, I just did what I was trained to do.” Later, people said that Belem and Robert had been calm, but Robert said his anxiety level, “Raised through the roof!” Robert continued, “I breathed in him twice. Before starting compressions, I felt for his breath again and to my surprise, he was breathing again!” The man slowly regained consciousness.

Soon, paramedics arrived and took over. Belem and Robert’s smart teamwork brought this man back to life. Belem shares, “When you are taking CPR and AED classes, you hope you never have to use these skills, but when things happen, everybody should know what to do.” Robert says this was the most amazing experience of his life, “To be that close to death and in some way help. It was awesome.”

Together, Belem and Robert saved a life.

By Susan Thomas

Read more stories of local heroes at http://www.utahredcross.org/general.asp?SN=200&OP=5125&IDCapitulo=I2OD6QV708

The American Red Cross helps family of 7 in Provo after fire

Provo, Utah ( Wednesday, March 04, 2009) — Tonight the Mountain Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross is helping a family of 7, 5 adults and 2 children, after an apartment fire in Provo ripped through their building located at 511 North 100 West this afternoon. One person died in the fire.

Disaster volunteer Wendy McGee said, “We are helping one family affected by this fire so far. They were very grateful to see the Red Cross on the scene, they are glad they will have a place to stay tonight.” The Red Cross will help them with immediate and essential needs.

Red Cross Chapters in Utah respond to about 200 incidents each year, some of them render multiple families homeless. Nationwide, the American Red Cross’s local chapters help victims of major and minor disasters by offering immediate comfort, which may include food, a warm place to stay, clothing and other life necessities. Volunteers give comfort kits to victims of fire, flood or other disasters. The kits include helpful items like toothbrushes, toothpaste and a toy for children.

If you’d like to help, financial donations are always accepted to help those affected by this fire and other disasters in your community.

March is Red Cross Month

Throughout Utah, [Monday, March 2, 2009] -- March is Red Cross Month, a time to recognize the life-saving difference the American Red Cross makes for people around the world, across our nation and right here in Utah every day.

Year round, the American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. During the fiscal year 2008-2009, the Red Cross in Utah responded to local disasters and helped 951 individuals with emergency food, shelter and supplies; educated more than 78,000 people in disaster preparedness; trained 54,654 people in CPR and first aid, 53,679 in water safety, 396 in babysitting and care giving, and 5,996 in HIV/Aids; and provided 971 emergency military communications. The Blood Services region collected 116,749 units of blood ensuring that an adequate and safe blood supply was available in 29 Utah hospitals.

During this month, the American Red Cross in Utah will celebrate with a variety of activities. The Greater Salt Lake Chapter hosts its annual Heroes event for 10 local heroes: Ordinary individuals in our community who have done something extraordinary. Like Skip Morgan who volunteers 50 hours per month teaching people to save lives and has saved a life himself, or Belem Jimenez and Robert Storey who rushed to the aid of a customer at their bank and saved his life using Red Cross CPR skills. You’ll hear their very inspiring and heartwarming stories at the Heroes Luncheon on March 18, 2009 at 11:30 am at the Salt Lake Convention Center. A complete list of the heroes with their personal heroic stories can be found online as well. For more information about the heroes or the event, visit www.utahredcross.org or call (801)323-7000.

The Blood Services Region in Utah will observe Red Cross Month at several of the many blood drives held throughout the state in March. There is one very special blood drive being held this month at the Salt Lake Donor Center on March 23. It will be held in honor of 14-year-old Lizzie Bell, a transfusion recipient in Arizona who has become a dedicated and determined champion of blood donating. Her home was demolished and rebuilt as one of the episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which will be aired on KTVX Channel 4 on March 22.

In Ogden, Northern Utah will host a “Celebration of Local Heroes” on March 24^th at noon at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center. Four individuals will also be in the spotlight this month with a feature about “How the Red Cross changed their lives,” posted at the Chapter office. Cache County Red Crossers and Utah State University will host a 5k run on March 28^th.

The Mountain Valley Chapter, based in Provo, celebrates Red Cross Month with the 5th Annual Run for Red 5k event on March 7th, 10 am at Independence High School. Registration and other information can be found at www.RunForRed.org There will also be a free community class on Thursday March 26th entitled "Evacuating your home, what to expect from your 72-hour kit.” More information on this class and more call (801)373-8580.

March is a great time to learn more about the “splendid aims and activities of the Red Cross,” as President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked more than 6 decades ago and President Barack Obama echoes today: Be a volunteer, make a donation, give blood or take a class offered by the American Red Cross.

The Heroes Event

The Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross celebrates ordinary individuals in your community who have done something extraordinary, they have saved a life. Their inspiring stories are shared as we honor them at this special annual event.

Join us March 18, 2009 at 11:30 am at the Salt Lake Convention Center. Buy your tickets online, call Neva Baker at 801-323-7003 or email nbaker@utahredcross.org to buy a ticket or a table at this event. Visit www.utahredcross.org to learn more about your local heroes.

Lifeguard Saves Life Thanks to Red Cross Training

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (February 11, 2009) — The Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red congratulates 25 year old Cottonwood Heights Lifeguard Corey Fischer! Trained in Red Cross lifesaving skills, Corey was called to put his skills to work in a recent life threatening emergency. Two weeks ago, a man in his 50’s was working out at the fitness club and suddenly collapsed! Corey was over by the swimming pools and was called to the scene. Corey explains, “He was working out and had a massive heart attack. My training just kicked in. I didn’t really have to think, I just reacted. Afterward everyone told me it went really smoothly.” Corey worked to save the life of the stranger using CPR and several shocks with an AED until an ambulance arrived and took the man to the hospital. Those important first minutes can make the difference in a life or death for a victim of cardiac arrest. Corey’s patient is alive and recovering from the ordeal.

For information on American Red Cross CPR and AED training: Visit www.utahredcross.orghttp://www.utahredcross.org/> < or call 801-323-7000.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (February 11, 2009)— The Utah state legislature has passed a bill that could help you… to help others. Utah House Bill 31, the Utah Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survival Act, provides immunity from civil liability for people who try to save someone’s life by performing CPR or using an AED. The bill protects individuals even if they are not trained. The bill passed the House and Senate and is awaiting a signature at this hour.

Now, that there is civil immunity, the Red Cross wants to take this opportunity to remind Utahns to sign up for CPR/AED training. Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter CEO, Maxine Margaritis, highly encourages Utahns to be properly trained in lifesaving skills. Margaritis said, “The research shows us that those who have been trained are more likely to respond to help someone, and they also have a higher success rate to save a life.”

Margaritis encourages all Utahns to call their local Chapter of the American Red Cross to sign up for a class and get trained in lifesaving skills.

To sign up for a class contact your local chapters in Ogden, Provo and Salt Lake City, as listed below.

The Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter classes can be found by calling 801-323-7000 or online at www.utahredcross.org <http://www.utahredcross.org/> click on Take A Class or go directly to this link:

http://www.utahredcross.org/class_result.asp?SN=3009&OP=3013&IDCapitulo=I2OD6QV708

American Red Cross cameo on The Office!

I must admit that I only watch a few TV shows, but one of the ones I do watch faithfully is The Office. I was looking forward to an extra-long episode after the Super Bowl, and wasn’t disappointed. It was ridiculously funny, and the American Red Cross made a cameo!I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t watched the episode and may want to be surprised, but the employees attend a CPR demonstration.

I recently became a First Aid/CPR/AED instructor, so it was very interesting for me to note the differences between what was shown on the show and the way courses are conducted by the Red Cross. First of all, there was only one dummy (often referred to as a “manikin,” intentionally spelled phonetically) for a class of about ten people. We use a DVD to teach CPR skills, instead of launching right into practice as the instructor on the show did. She also didn’t correct Michael (played by Steve Carell) even though his hand placement would do much more harm than good. Instead of acting as the heart muscle, he would choke the victim.So does Steve Carell just need to take a CPR class? Not necessarily. I wouldn’t put it past him to intentionally have Michael Scott not know a darn thing about CPR. Michael isn’t the brightest bulb. I don’t think the show needed to portray exactly what an American Red Cross class is like, either. If it did, this couldn’t happen:

I’m 99.9% sure that no one has pulled a knife on our mannequins in any of the classes at the chapter, which makes me feel safer! In case you saw the show and were wondering, yes, the heads underneath the faces do indeed look like this:

If you’re interested in learning more about CPR training, First Aid training, and/or AED training, feel free to call the bookstore at 801-323-7014. We’re happy to help.

Images taken from NBC.com.

Teaching Children To Be Prepared

Media invitation: Photo/Interview Opportunity

Local Chapter of the American Red Cross

Helps Teach Students Preparedness

For Immediate Release

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (January 29, 2009)— The Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter of the American Red Cross will teach about 50 4^th and 5^th grade students how to be prepared on Thursday, February 5^th at 1:00 pm. at the Wasatch Peak Academy located at 414 North Cutler Drive (1 block west of Redwood Road). The school contacted the Red Cross after the recent refinery explosion and fire in Woods Cross caused an evacuation in the area. The school wants to build preparedness kits for their students in the event of an emergency. Teacher LaRae Terry said, “We want our students to have kits here at the school. The Red Cross sent us their checklists for preparedness kits and we are in the process of building them for our students. The advice from the Red Cross is easy to follow and this has turned out to be an excellent project for our kids. If you are prepared you don’t have to be afraid!” Terry said her students are also going to do a community outreach project, they are going to share what they learn about preparedness with others.