Eek, another apartment fire!

This afternoon (12/3/13) a 3 alarm fire occurred at an apartment complex in Overland Park, KS. I just happened to be on call so when I saw the news pop up on my Facebook feed I quickly stopped what I was doing (I was at the library using a computer for my job search, who needs a job right? I do but that's a different topic for a different day...) and headed to my car. I called the DDO and steered my car towards the direction of the fire knowing the DDO would call me back while I was on my way.

I wasn't the assigned lead today but since I was first on the scene at the apartment fire I became the point person for EMS, police and fire in regards to information needed to be shared with the Red Cross. No problem, I can handle information just as long as I don't have to do the on camera interviews. If the media learned i was point person and had all the info they would be requesting interviews. I quickly got on the phone with the DDO and let the chapter know we needed our communications/media personnel at the scene as it was quite a zoo (in regards to the local news being on site). The DDO assured me our communications team was on the way.

Once I knew our communications team was on the way I was able to focus on getting information about how many residents are affected that might need assistance, where we can stage, etc. As usual, EMS, fire and police were very helpful. The Red Cross has a good working relationship with first responders which benefits everyone involved in disasters such as large apartment fires. The Red Cross takes the lead in getting information from the apartment manager regarding occupancy so that everyone can be accounted for. This allows fire, EMS and police to continue their focus on rescue, fire suppression and containment of the scene as well as other tasks they need to complete in these types of disasters.

This was a pretty big fire. One building was burning which put the adjacent buildings at risk. In all, 3 buildings were affected. Unfortunately one resident was taken to the hospital with serious burns. Several others were treated at the scene for minor injuries including smoke inhalation. One OP Police Officer was also taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and was released later in the evening. Residents were very appreciative of the quick response from police to the scene. Many residents wanted to give kudos to the police for helping evacuate everyone so quickly. Fire had to rescue at least one person from an upper level balcony. I know from my own fire how important it is for fire and police to arrive quickly to help with evacuation. In an emergency people naturally panic and aren't sure how to best evacuate safely. Sometimes we think our possessions are worth the time to gather before evacuating. Unfortunately time is of the essence to evacuate safely.

In total, 30 units were affected. 10 were destroyed or severely damaged from the fire and the other 20 had some smoke damage. Electricity had to be turned off to the 2 adjacent buildings so residents were allowed to go in with a fire fighter to gather some things but would need a place to stay for the night. The Red Cross assisted all residents affected with food, clothing and lodging. All residents were accounted for (some were at work at the time of the fire) and almost all pets. Unfortunately one resident was unable to find her cat. Thankfully she lives in one of the buildings that had smoke damage only so hopefully the cat is just hiding and is safe. When a pet is missing that is always hard for me to hear. I will always think of my kitty Cosmo (who I lost in my fire last year) whenever I respond to an apartment fire. Pets are family too! I hope the resident finds her kitty soon!

I have said before, I am blessed to be able to volunteer and appreciate working with such a great group of people that make up the Greater Kansas City Red Cross Chapter!

Here are some pics of our wonderful Red Cross volunteers in action:

One of the many reasons why I volunteer...

Why do I volunteer? There are many reasons and last night reaffirmed a few of them! As I was entering a house to do an assessment after a fire this little guy came running up to me. He's a young puppy belonging to the family affected by the house fire.

 

(Wish I had gotten a better pic but it was difficult without any electricity and with him jumping up on me I am surprised I got a pic at all. I wanted to pet him, reassure him that he was okay and capture the moment!)

 

The family was worried their puppy didn't survive as they were unable to find him. The fire department reported to the family that they hadn't found him either so imagine my surprise when he came running up to me upon entering the house. I volunteer at Wayside Waifs along with Red Cross. I enjoy helping people and animals. Did this little guy sense the presence of an animal lover and that's what brought him out from his hiding spot? We may never know but I can tell you that seeing this little guy made my night! It's always difficult on a family when they lose their home and belongings but losing a pet on top of it makes it that much more difficult. To see the elation on the family's faces when they saw that their puppy was safe well... that was a priceless moment!

Sleep, who needs sleep?

So I volunteered to be on call this past weekend. (If you haven't been reading my blog regularly...I'm a Disaster Services Technician - DAT - for the Red Cross). I put myself on the schedule for Saturday morning (12am-6am) and again on Sunday night (10pm-12am)/Monday morning (12am-8am). I will occasionally sign up for the overnight shifts when I see there is only 1 DAT on the schedule or if it's a holiday since coverage sometimes can be light on holidays. Otherwise I generally schedule myself for Thursday evening with another volunteer that is regularly on the calendar Thursday evening and then other times during the week that are light. I have shied away from overnights in the past because I tend to not hear the phone once I go to sleep. Ever since my fire last year though I can no longer sleep through a full night so I decided to go ahead and make myself available overnight when the need is there. I actually enjoy being able to get up in the middle of the night and assist a family in need. I would never wish a disaster on anyone but as I have experienced, disasters don't discriminate. They can happen anytime - day or night. 

Anyhoo... back to this weekend. I actually hadn't been to a fire in more than a month or so. Sometimes that's the way it goes and I don't mind because that means it's been quiet and there haven't been many fires in the KC area. This weekend was different though. Probably due to the colder weather arriving. Seems like fires increase at the beginning of cold weather and conversely at the beginning of hot weather. The increased usage of electricity may be the reason since it seems many fires are contributed to being caused by electrical. Other reasons include using alternative forms of heat such as candles, fireplaces, spaceheaters, etc. So, Saturday a.m. fellow volunteer Carl and I responded to a house fire at approximately 5am. The fire occured some time during the overnight and the resident was not home at the time. Fortunately his dog was outside and unharmed. As can be seen from the pictures below, the house was a complete loss. It's always heartbraking to see that happen and even more so when the resident tells you the history behind the house. In this case, the son had inherited the house from his recently deceased mother and was renovating it. It's hard for the family impacted to hold back the tears sometimes and this case was no exception. All I can do as a Red Cross volunteer is reassure them that help is available. That doesn't take away the pain of losing everything though. I know that from first hand experience. I am not sure if that helps or hurts me as a DAT. I sometimes wonder if my experience has changed how I approach my tasks as a DAT. If nothing else I think I am more compassionate because I can relate to the loss they are feeling.

Some calls are a little harder than others to respond to. I struggle whenever a pet is lost in a fire so I was very relieved to hear the owners dog survived the above fire.

Sunday night/Monday morning had Carl and I busy. We were both on the calendar again and responded to 2 different fires. The first fire was a house fire in Raytown, MO. Fortunately for the resident he was able to escape safely as well as get his dogs out safely. Damage was limited to a small portion of the house and he should be able to return to living in the house within a few days. He was in the middle of dinner at the time, heard a strange noise and upon investigation he discovered the fire. He called 911 and used a fire extenguisher to help extenguish the fire. Fire extenguishers can be great tools if you know how to use them properly and know when a fire is too big to knock out yourself. He was smart and got out with his pets instead of trying to be a hero when he realized the fire was bigger than the extenguisher could handle.

The second fire was a house fire on the east side of KC. The house is currently under renovation and is set up to be apartments. 2 young men were living in the house at the time of the fire. They were fortunate in that they were able to get out unharmed. They lost quite a bit of their posssessions though and again that is hard to handle no matter who you are. They were quite humbled though and knew how fortunate they were to get out safely. Below is a picture of that fire. A KC Firefighter was injured when the roof collapsed. Although his injuries are not life threatening, it is a sober reminder of how dangerous fires are and how fortunate we are when we are able to safely escape.

The fires were within hours of each other Sunday pm/Monday am so consequently I didn't get much sleep. By time I got home from the 2nd fire it was dawn and I was too wound up to sleep. That's the downside to responding to disasters, I get wound up and can't sleep afterward which makes taking the overnight shift hard. However, I feel like providing support to others when they need it outweighs the hours of sleep I may lose from time to time. I am proud to volunteer for the Red Cross and hope to do so for many years to come.

KC Marathon Race Volunteer

When my alarm went off at 5am today I cursed myself for volunteering to be a course monitor for the marathon. It was COLD and EARLY! I managed to put on a few layers and slumber out the door finding my way to QuikTrip. With coffee and donut in hand I made my way to 54th and Summit, my assigned intersection.

My intersection was at approximately mile 13 so it would be a while before I would see any runners but we were instructed to be in place by 6:15am per KCPD. The race course has to be secure (ie enough police officers and volunteers in place) to ensure runner safety. The gun went off at 7:05am and at approximately 8:15am the first runners appeared down the street from my assigned intersection.

It was then that I remembered why I volunteered. I love race day, whether I am running or volunteering. Both give me satisfaction. I either complete a journey of training to the finish line or maintain a safe course for other runners to complete their journey to the finish line. Today did not disappoint! 

Thousands of runners, walkers and a few superheroes (some great costumes today!) completed their journey today. Some their first marathon, some their hundredth. I cheered, clapped, slapped hands with runners (including the very last runner on the marathon course) and made sure traffic stayed clear of the course. There is nothing like cheering thousands of runners to the finish and receiving thousands of thank you's in return! Even KCPD officers on the course made a point to say thank you when they drove by. It's a joint effort between KCPD and volunteers to make it a safe race for everyone. I never expect a thank you but it's always nice to hear! I enjoy volunteering at local races. It allows me to give back to a sport I love and also inspires me to continue running. I am currently nursing a hamstring injury and will miss the Marine Corps Marathon next week because of it which made today a little bittersweet. Nonetheless, I will return again next year to volunteer! Maybe one of these years I will run it instead... 

Congratulations to all who crossed the finish line today!

CERT - Weeks 3 & 4 - Emergency Medical Operations

Weeks 3 & 4 of the CERT training covered Emergency Medical Operations. CERTs role in a disaster is to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in any time of need. One of the tasks assigned to CERTs is to do triage (prior to EMS professionals arriving) to determine the medical needs of those affected in the disaster. CERTs learn to do a basic assessment to determine if an individual needs immediate medical assistance, can wait for delayed medical assistance (non-life threatening injuries), is not injured or in the worst case scenario, the individual is deceased. When possible CERTs will set up a triage area for each situation and segregate the injured individuals per category.

Here are some pics from class:

Chief Keller demonstrates how to do a head to toe examination to determine extent of injury and need for triage.

Here are pics of class trying on splints:












And in case anyone is wondering if I actually attend the classes, here I am hiding in the back. Not sure who is taking pictures but I need to do a better job of hiding from the camera! ;)



Next week we will be covering Light Search and Rescue. 

(Pictures above are from Southwest Johnson County CERT. Probably their PR person. Hope they don't mind that I borrowed them!)

To learn more about Southwest Johnson County CERT visit them on facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/SouthwestJohnsonCountyCERT

New Volunteer Opportunity - CERT

I have been interested in Emergency Management and CERT for quite some time. I seem to manage to find the CERT training a few weeks AFTER the classes start and end up looking for other programs and then missing the classes for the year. Well this year I managed to find and register for the training BEFORE classes started so I am finally getting around to being trained as a CERT. Yay! If I could turn my passion for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Assessment in to a career I would but for now I am happy to be a volunteer with American Red Cross and now with Southwest Johnson County CERT.

Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services may not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors such as number of victims, communication failures and road blockages may prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment's notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs. This is where CERT comes in!

CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. Citizens are trained by professionals in Emergency Management, EMS, Fire and Law Enforcement to respond and assist in disasters.

CERT team members are often available at a scene of a disaster BEFORE emergency personnel can arrive. CERT teams provide many tasks such as first aid/CPR and other life saving services. CERTs may also assist emergency personnel (ems, fire and law enforcement) with tasks such as communication, fire suppression, traffic control, search & rescue as well as organize spontaneous volunteers to put them to use in the most effective way. CERT teams do not replace emergency personnel but rather take charge until emergency personnel arrive and then work with emergency personnel to provide services to those in need in time of a disaster. This allows trained emergency personnel to focus on more technical tasks CERT members are not trained to perform.

The mission of a CERT team is to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in any time of need.

Southwest Johnson County CERT is based out at Johnson County Fire District #1 in Gardner, KS. If you are interested in CERT training or would just like to learn more about their program visit them on facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/SouthwestJohnsonCountyCERT.

Here are some pictures from this weeks class (Week 2) which focused on Fire Suppression:

 

CERT training programs are generally from 7-10 weeks. Topics covered include: Disaster Preparedness, Fire Suppression, Medical Operations (First Aid, CPR, Triage), Search and Rescue, Disaster Psychology (signs and symptoms that victims or CERT members are experiencing psychology trauma from the disaster) and Team Organization (how a CERT is organized, need for documentation, etc). The final week is generally a Disaster Simulation. It is also recommended that CERT members participate in local disaster drills when available.

Next week we jump in to emergency medical operations. I will try to post updates and pictures when possible. I am looking forward to this new adventure!
 

Follow Up on Chad Rogers Death

There was a lot of negative publicity about Chad Rogers death. It's human nature to be curious. I am glad to hear it wasn't foul play or suicide. Here is what was reported earlier today via The Kansas City Star:

"The Jackson County medical examiner’s office has determined Chad Rogers died from a congenital heart problem involving the aortic valve, which had two flaps instead of the normal three, the autopsy report said."

It's a sad loss for the Rogers family but I am certain there is some comfort in knowing Chad didn't die a violent death from foul play nor did he commit suicide. Now hopefully his family can get some peace while they mourn the loss of a son, husband and father.

Rest In Peace Chad! Run with the Angels! 

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/04/4457495/liberty-runners-death-attributed.html#storylink=cpy