E MERGENCY S ERVICES

of Greater Indianapolis
NEWSLETTER May, 2008
Volume 1, Issue 1

American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, 441 East Tenth St., Indianapolis, IN 46202
www.redcross-indy.org (317) 684-1441

Disaster Relief FY 2008 INSIDE THIS ISSUE

By Debbie Taylor Disaster Relief and DSHR 1
DAT Information 2
First Aid News 3
This is a wonderful opportunity to express my
Volunteer Development Opportunities 4
appreciation to the emergency services volunteers
FEMA Training Offered 4
of the Greater Indianapolis Chapter. To all of you SAF- Service to Armed Forces News 5
who respond to fires, teach our classes, drive the Volunteers Needed 5
ERV, help our neighbors throughout the state and
the country, provide emergency messages and
support to our armed forces, load the trucks, and
In January, 27 Greater Indianapolis paid and
give the hugs, THANK YOU!
volunteer staff traveled to help the Northern
Indiana communities during some of the worst
This year more and more people in our
flooding ever in that area. Then in February, the
communities are being helped by our volunteers.
floods came again, but this time both Northern and
At the time of this writing, 568 families have been
Southern Indiana were affected. This time, 42
assisted this fiscal year in all our counties.
Greater Indianapolis paid and volunteer staff
Normally, the chapter assists around 320 families
members set up Headquarters right here in
per year. As you can see, there is a large increase
Indianapolis and supported all the chapters
in assistance. Thanks to all 162 DAT members
throughout the State with staff, stuff and guidance.
and to their families for delivering Red Cross
assistance all hours of the day/night.
Outstanding job, everyone!

DSHR Reminder
By Kadi Best
Reminder to all our DSHR Volunteers: You must
enter your availability into the DSHR system as
soon as possible. For assistance please contact
Kadi Best at KBest@redcross-indy.org

DSHR members: Susan Grisby, Larry Ross, Steve

Wolfe, and Kadi Best with Client
 Page 2
Call To ACTION:
Disaster Action Team Members Needed
By Vicki Ingersoll
We need additional DAT team members in Marion
and ALL surrounding counties. As of January, we
have interviewed, trained, and placed 9 new DAT
members.
As a member of DAT, you respond and are the
first to represent the Red Cross at the scene of
disasters, mostly single-family fires. The DAT
provides for the immediate emergency needs for
clients, such as food, clothing, and shelter. DAT
members are on-call for after-hours coverage –
5pm to 7:30 am weekdays and over weekends.
DAT members who are available, may be called
February DAT Team Meeting Recap
By Debbie Taylor
Sixty-six of our DAT team members and leaders
participated in the mandatory DAT Meeting in
February.
Seven ARCGI staff members led short sessions on
DAT Manual updates, DAT lessons learned, Do’s and
Don’ts reminders, and some exciting scenario
exercises.
The Volunteer Task Description for DAT team
members and for the DAT Leaders was discussed and
included in the DAT Manual.
“thanks for the very nice &
informative recap of the recent
meetings! the meetings were very
helpful!!! it is so great to be
associated with such caring and
professional leaders and staff!!.”
- Lee Braun
ARCGI ES News
upon to respond during normal business hours.
Required training:
• Fulfilling Our Mission
• Mass Care Overview
• Client Casework
• DAT Orientation
NOTICE
Johnson County: Disaster Action Team Meeting
May 19, 2008, 7:00 PM at Franklin Office in the
Gateway Services Building, 3500 North Morton (US31).
We will handout new individual DAT kits and discuss
service issues. All current DAT members and aspiring
members are encouraged to attend.
The PysStart field triage quick reference tool from the
Psychological First Aid Training class was given out to
assist you when you are responding to an emergency
and when you need to contact the Disaster Mental
Health worker immediately.
Remember that CAC’s and Hotel DO’s must be issued
by Teresa Cummings during regular business hours.
All of the other items included on the Checklist may be
found in the DAT cabinet in the Emergency Services
Department. It is your responsibility to check your
supplies and keep your DAT manual replenished and
up-to-date.
Debbie Taylor, Emergency Services
ARCGI ES News
What’s Going on in First Aid
By Heather Starr
As many of you may or may not know we have gotten
the First Aid season off to a great start. In the
months of February, March and April many
volunteers spent their time at nine events and
opened the Indianapolis Indians’ baseball season.
In February we started the 500 Festival Training
Series with the 5K run on Saturday, February 9th and
ended the month with the ever-popular Boat, Sport &
Travel Show. March brought out the second training
run of the 500 Festival Training Series on Saturday,
the 1st. Then we all had the opportunity to enjoy the
festivities of St. Patrick’s Day with the 5K Run/Walk
on the 15th and the Parade on the 17th. The saying
about “April Showers” held true, as at almost every
one of the outside events we were rained on and it
was cold. However, the volunteers persevered. April
12th & 13th brought those same volunteers great
enjoyment. Out at the State Fairgrounds there were
two days of great country artists and music at the
HHGregg Country Music Expo. Next goes to show
how good some of the volunteers really are; that
same morning they got up extra early and worked
the last of the 500 Festival Training Series, the 15K -
cold, rain and all. What dedication! Rounding out the
middle and end of the month we have two
exceptional events that we are very proud to be a
part of. April 19th brought over 50,000 entrants for
the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and April 27th
we were also there to help those that walked for the
homeless at the Homeward Bound 5K Walk.
Is there anything else? We have only just begun!
You’ve heard of March Madness, well in First Aid, its
May Madness. On May 3rd we have the finale for
what everyone has been training for, the OneAmerica
500 Festival Mini Marathon. Sunday, May 4th you can
join us for the Deaf School PTCO Day. We’ll show off
more of the volunteers talents at a brand new event,
Lilly Day of Service – Keeping Indiana Beautiful. They
will be in three different major parts of the city
Page 3
George Fields, Cheryl Lipman, Jim Orebaugh, Kim Orebaugh, Kim
Douglas, Amy Cleveland (L to R)
simultaneously, serving over 8,000 volunteers as
they are taking care of our city. Doubling up our
services on Armed Forces Day, May 17th, for the
Blue Star Salute to Armed Forces & their Families, we
will be out at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Speedway. On
the other side of the city at Conner Prairie the Civil
War Reenactment will be taking place through the
18th. Continuing with fun on the 18th the 500
Festival Kid’s Day & Rookie Run will be taking place
down on the Circle. Wrapping up the end of the
month and the 500 Festival events, the 500 Festival
Memorial Service will be held on Friday, May 23rd,
the 500 Festival Parade is Saturday, May 24th and the
running of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 starts at 1:00
pm on Sunday, May 25th.
As you can see, your fellow volunteers keep very
busy during the year, see a lot of the city and have
fun while doing it.
I cannot thank the First Aid Team enough for their
hard work and dedication for the hours that they
have committed so far this year and the hours they
will put in, in the coming months.
Keep a look out for the upcoming calendar of events
of ‘What’s Going on in First Aid’ and don’t forget
those Indians’ Games! I’ll see you all in the field
soon. If you would like to join the First Aid team you
should contact me at: hstarr@redcross-
hstarr@redcross-indy.org .
 Page 4
Volunteer development opportunities – Consider leadership
Do you have a desire to get more involved? Disaster
Services need more Activity Leaders. Please
consider getting prepared to help out in disaster
relief operations as a Supervisor. We offer two great
training courses that will help you prepare for taking
a leadership position in a disaster relief operation.
These classes are only offered by demand and have
had to be cancelled at least twice in the past
because of interest / low enrollment. At least 10
participants are required for each class.
Supervision in Disaster training provides new
supervisors with the knowledge & skills required to
competently perform their roles & responsibilities
according to elevated expectations and using
FEMA TRAINING FOR RED CROSS EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS INVOLVED IN
DISASTER RESPONSE
Recently an announcement was made regarding
Red Cross disaster workers completing courses
from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). These courses can be taken online and
as independent study at no charge.
FEMA offers many course options for emergency
responders and relief workers through their
Emergency Management Institute (EMI).
Here are the suggested courses for all Red Cross
employees and volunteers who have a direct role
in disaster response:
• Introduction to Incident Command System (IS-
100)
• ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action
Incidents (IS-200)
• National Incident Management System (NIMS),
An Introduction (IS-700)
• National Response Plan (NRP), An Introduction
(IS-800)
ARCGI ES News
current job tools and resources. Prerequisites: The basic
or intermediate disaster training course for the activity in
which the applicant expects to become a supervisor.
Experience as a worker in the activity in which the
applicant expects to become a supervisor
Mass Care II training prepared Red Cross workers to
establish on a multi-chapter or national disaster relief
operation so that client needs are met in a timely and cost-
effective manner. Prerequisites: Mass Care Overview,
Shelter Operations and Simulation, Supervision in Disaster,
and experience in the Mass Care on a disaster relief
operation.
Contact Terese Cummings or Vicki Ingersoll @ (317-684-4327
for more information.
In addition you may also find The Role of Voluntary
Agencies in Emergency Management (IS-288) an
appropriate course to take among others specific to
your role in disaster services.
Once completed, you will receive a confirmation via
email. You should provide a copy of the email to a
member of the Emergency Services Department.
Although compliance with NIMS is not mandated for
Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), adherence to
NIMS procedures and terminology, and requiring staff
with disaster related missions to take appropriate
training will support the continued integration of NGOs
into a our preparedness efforts. Your interaction with
community partners, including your local emergency
management agency and other responding agencies,
will be enhanced with this recommended training.
Here’s the URL for FEMA’s Independent Study
Program:
http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp
 ARCGI ES News Page 5

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
For the following positions

- DAT Team Members

- DSHR administrative assistance
- Newsletter editor
- SAF (Service to Armed Forces)

Logan, honorary ARCGI DSHR wonder dog

News from SAF – Services to

Armed Forces
By Sheila Conrad

From July 1, 2007 through March 31, 2008, American Red

Cross of Greater Indianapolis sent / received 955 messages We’re on the Web!
for service members. Service members and retirees were
Visit us at:
helped with a total of 60 loans or grants in that same time
frame. www.redcross-indy.org

We’d like to extend a warm welcome to volunteers - Susan

Cabian
Grigsby and Jose Cabi an,, our newest SAF Caseworkers.
an

In April, we had presence at two events:

April 5th – the American Legion Spring Conference ARCGI

information booth volunteers Annette Clardy, Barbara
Fearnow, and David Fearnow.

April 12th – Indiana National Guard Family Days. Information

booth volunteers were Carl Bischoff, Susan Grigsby, James
Brown.