Disaster Relief  Disaster Services include planning, preparedness, community disaster education, mitigation, and relief to the victims of tragedies.  Disaster relief provides aid to families within the community after a devastating event.  The Red Cross may provide voucher(s) or CAC(s) for food and/or clothing up to a pre-determined amount.  Care packets, consisting of daily necessities that often times are taken for granted, are distributed to further aid the victims of disasters.   FIRE ESCAPE PLANNING Fast Facts • Only 26 percent of families have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.* 　　 • Eighty percent of Americans don’t realize that home fires are the single most common disaster across the nation.* 　 • The number of home fires the American Red Cross has responded to has risen 10% since 2000.* • Every two and a half hours someone is killed in a home fire. In a typical year, 20,000 people are injured in home fires.** • Having a working smoke alarm reduces one’s chances of dying in a fire by nearly half.** 　 • Children and older adults are twice as likely to die in a home fire as the American population at large.*** 　 Preparedness Tips 􀀹 Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home and outside of sleeping areas. 　 􀀹 Test smoke alarm batteries every month and change them at least once a year. 　 􀀹 Make sure everyone in your family knows at least two ways to escape from every room of your home. 　 􀀹 Practice your fire escape plan at least twice a year. Designate a meeting spot outside and a safe distance from your home. Make sure all family members know the meeting spot. 　 􀀹 Have your family practice escaping from your home, practicing low crawling and at different times of the day. Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1. 　 􀀹 Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas on the second or third floor. Make sure everyone in your home learns how to use them ahead of time by reading the manufacturer’s instructions and understanding the steps to use them. Store them near the window where they will be used. 　 􀀹 Teach your family to stop, drop to the ground, and roll if their clothes catch on fire. Practice this with your children. 　 􀀹 Once you get out of your home, stay out under all circumstances, until a fire official gives you permission to go back inside. 　 􀀹 Never open doors that are warm to the touch.   􀀹 If smoke, heat, or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with the door closed. If possible, place a towel under the door and call the fire department to alert them to your location in the home. Go to the window and signal for help waving a bright-colored cloth or a flashlight. Do not break the window, but open it from the top and bottom. 　 􀀹 Visit www.redcross.org/homefires for more information on creating home fire escape plans.   Disaster Education Courses Disaster courses are free to the community.  Please contact the chapter house at (814) 368-6197 if you would like a disaster education program within the school or workplace.  Disaster Volunteer Training Class Schedule (all disaster classes are free of charge) Date Course Location Time                                                                                                         Masters of Disaster A flexible disaster preparedness curriculum for teachers of grades K-2, 3-5 & 6-8. Children learn how to prevent, prepare for, and respond to a disaster in their home, school, or community. The lesson plans can be integrated into core academic subjects: science, math, social studies, and language arts. Teacher's Kit Price:  $20.00     kit includes DVD and CD-ROM with resources.                     "Do It Yourself" Family Kit:  $20.00  kit includes DVD and CD-ROM with resources. Volunteer Opportunities We need your help as a volunteer in McKean and Potter Counties!  Make a difference and be part of a team that assists families affected by fires, floods, and more.  Our chapter offers disaster education classes to prepare you to go out into the field with other volunteers.  Whether you prefer to assist individual families, damage assessment or assist with shelter operations, we have the job for you!  We even have opportunities for volunteers to teach disaster education materials to children and groups in the community.     Worried about the time commitment?  No problem, you can volunteer to serve an hour, a day, or many days throughout the year.  Get valuable experience and training while helping others!  Please call us at (814) 368-6197 or email to mparc@verizon.net to volunteer.   ~*~*~*~   The Introduction to Disaster Services Course is also available online at http://www.redcross.org/donate/volunteer   Interested in taking disaster classes for continuing education credit?  Go to http://www.fema.gov and view their online and correspondence classes.