This summer we said, ‘See you soon!’ to one of our very own – Nina Musgrove. When Nina took a gap year to work and apply to medical school, she found her calling with the Red Cross through the AmeriCorps Program.
“I was facing the final year before dedicating my life to medical school and I was committed to finding work that made an impact. So, I started with AmeriCorps, and when my term came to an end, transitioning to the Red Cross was the natural thing to do, and what a wonderful whirlwind it has been,” shared Nina.
Through the Disaster Action Team, and in a very short time, Nina taught over 1,844 people through the Youth Preparedness and Community Preparedness Education Program, responded to 66 fires, assisted hundreds of families with recovery, supported Multi-Agency Resource Centers, installed smoke alarms through the Sound the Alarm campaign and helped staff multiple shelters. And it all started with the desire to make an impact.
“Every single experience at the Red Cross has not only impacted my leadership skills but greatly prepared me for my future as an emergency physician. My goal is to help people during the worst time of their lives just like the Red Cross does in times of disaster or home fires. Leaving is bittersweet, but my experience—it’s unlike anything I’ve ever imagined and it’s my wish that others would consider a life-changing time with the Red Cross. I wanted to make an impact, but the impact the Red Cross has had on me has been powerful. I’ve grown in so many ways.”
Most of the 60,000 emergencies that the Red Cross responds to each year are local disasters like home fires. Trained Disaster Action Team Red Crossers like Nina are ready to respond to these emergencies, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. From offering a shoulder to cry on, to meeting immediate needs for shelter or supplies, to connecting people with long-term recovery services, our volunteers ensure that families are not alone during one of the toughest times of their lives.
Volunteer with us to answer the call when your neighbors need help. RedCross.org/Volunteer
Written by Illinois Communications Manager Connie Esparza
On the afternoon of May 22, 2022, Clarence Weber and his family stood outside the Rochelle, Illinois home he has lived in for 41 years and watched as local firefighters arrived and starting putting out a fire raging from the basement. Clarence says it was the smoke that he remembers most; thick, dark that he couldn’t see through and toxic, especially after he got a few whiffs of it.
Clarence had heard a small explosion in the basement followed by the high-pitched tone of two smoke alarms going off. At first, he used a fire extinguisher to attempt to put out the fire growing in the basement but soon realized it was getting too big too quickly for the small hand-held extinguisher alone to smother.
“All I saw was flames that I thought I may have been able to put out but the things that were on fire became toxic smoke immediately,” Clarence remembered.
He quickly got himself and his wife, daughter and granddaughter out of the home safely. The four pets of the family including two dogs, a cat and a lizard also all got out with the help of of the firefighters.
Smoke Alarms Above
Just eight days before, on May 14th, 2022 Clarence and his wife had been at home when a knock at the door revealed several volunteers offering to install some new smoke alarms in the house at no cost. They considered if their current alarms were sufficient but determined they had to be at least 20 years old and likely outdated technology, so they welcomed the volunteers.
“I saw it as a gift,” he said. “As a homeowner for many, many years there’s so many different things you keep up on and you’ve got to remember and sometimes the files get crowded [in your mind] ….did you change that battery?”
Red Cross volunteer Jan Fulfs and a partner volunteer from the city of Rochelle installed two 10-year smoke alarms and reviewed some home fire safety information with the family as part of the national Red Cross initiative “Sound the Alarm” where volunteers canvas neighborhoods across the country providing fire safety education and installing new, free smoke alarms.
“I saw it as that, something brand new for me that I didn’t have to pay for at my own cost to upgrade it to brand new technology. That caught my ear right there and it had a ten year battery life,” he said.
Clarence says he feels grateful to have had the new smoke alarms, unsure if the old ones would have gone off in the same situation or if the family had been asleep when the fire started in the basement, where fires often burn for a while undetected.
Resilience Within
During the fire, paramedics, firefighters and neighbors arrived to help including a pair of Red Cross volunteers; Tracy and Tony Bustos, a husband and wife team from Freeport, IL. The Red Cross provided emergency financial assistance, basic essential items, medication refills and connections to many resources to make sure the family had what they needed while dealing with the aftermath of a home fire.
Though mostly contained to the basement, much of Clarence’s house was damaged by either fire, heat, smoke or water including many of the family’s materials related to hobbies. Through it all, Clarence maintains that his whole family and all their pets are safe and he’s thankful for the outpouring of support from the community.
“This little fire is just a bump in the road. We’re blessed at the response and all the things that have fallen into place.”
Rochelle Fire Department Chief Dave Sawlsville says having working smoke alarms and knowledge of multiple ways to escape your home could be the critical difference for families who experience a home fire which is why partnering with the Red Cross for “Sound the Alarm” aligned with their goals for the community. He says it was “eye-opening” to see how many families did not have smoke alarms that worked or did not have any at all.
“Today’s fire house fire is so much different than the house fire of ten years ago or 15 years ago. It’s it’s so much hotter and so much faster and and the black smoke is so much thicker, you know, that it’s it’s an entirely possible for you to get turned around in your own house and that’s the message we’ve been trying to tell people,” Chief Sawlsville said.
The Rochelle Fire Department and the Red Cross continue to install smoke alarms, a small device that can increase a person’s chances of surviving a home fire by 50%. In the event of a fire, you may only have 2 minutes or less to get out of a home.
“It makes a difference; it could have been my entire house without them and possibly the loss of a life or a pet,” Clarence said.
Clarence and his family are staying with a relative until they can move back into their home and says he is “thankful for not only the gift of the smoke alarms but the relief that was brought forward immediately,” he said. “It raised my level of belief in humanity quite a bit that day and the following weeks after that; all the surrounding people and the support from this incident has been overwhelming and I’m grateful, very grateful.”
To learn more about the “Sound the Alarm” initiative or to get involved as a volunteer with the Red Cross, visit www.redcross.org/soundthealarm
Written by Illinois Region Communications Manager Holly Baker
The Sound the Alarm program is part of the Red Cross home fire campaign, which has helped saved 1,275 lives since launching in October 2014.
Spring for many of us signifies renewal by way of home improvements projects, gardening, spring cleaning, and maybe even a fresh haircut! May at the Red Cross is dedicated to the annual campaign, Sound the Alarm, and with it a renewed commitment to fire safety awareness, a community-based campaign to install free smoke alarms to our most vulnerable communities.
On Saturday, May 7, 2022, we were excited and honored to kickoff Sound the Alarm in Cook County alongside Cook County Board President, Toni Preckwinkle, 38th District State Representative of Illinois, Debbie Meyers-Martin, Cook County Commissioner, Donna Miller, County Board Commissioner, 6th District, and dozens of volunteers who dedicated their Saturday to Sound the Alarm in Richton Park. Smiles and dedication were palpable as the event was kicked off with a short address by Red Cross of Greater Chicago, Chief Executive Officer, Celena Roldán.
Pictured are Toni Preckwinkle, President, Cook County Board of Commissioners, Celena Roldán, Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross of Illinois, Donna Miller, County Board Commissioner, 6th District, and Debbie Meyers-Martin, Illinois State Representative, 38th District.
“Nationally, seven people are killed and 36 more are injured every single day due to home fires,” explained Roldán. “Our Home Fire Campaign has helped save over 1,200 lives nationally and in Illinois, we have saved 33 people because of this program. We couldn’t be prouder of our amazing partners, volunteers, and donors who make our work possible.”
In addition to smoke alarm installations, Red Cross volunteers worked on fire escape plans with Richton Park residents.
Richton Park and neighboring residents excitedly welcomed Red Cross partners and volunteers into their home who installed free smoke alarms and outlined fire escape plans. When asked why installing smoke alarms was important for her, Richton Park resident Carolyn Wright stated, “My granddaughter and great-grandchildren live with me, and it is very important for me to keep all of my little ones safe.”
Richton Park resident, Carolyn Write with Red Cross Sound the Alarm volunteers.
In total, 136 homes, 171 people, were made safer in Richton Park and neighboring communities. Since launching the Sound the Alarm campaign in 2014, our volunteers have helped save lives by installing more than 2 million smoke alarms. We encourage Chicagoland community members to volunteer or register to have free smoke alarms installed during an upcoming event.
#EndHomeFires
Written by Illinois Region Communications Manager, Connie Esparza
Shelly Oliver started volunteering for the American Red Cross in 2018, shortly before Hurricane Michael made landfall in the U.S. She has traveled to Florida, Oregon, Louisiana and elsewhere to provide disaster relief after hurricanes, wildfires and other disaster scenes.
Shelly lives in Macon County, near Decatur and responds locally to home fires and other incidents, providing immediate assistance to people who have been impacted by disasters. She also helps install smoke alarms as part of our Sound the Alarm program.
“I like the disaster response work, being on scene with the clients. You take these people with you. I call to check up on them and they will call me sometimes,” she said.
Despite the challenges presented during the COVID pandemic, Shelly still has been able to assist in a virtual setting, and she is glad to have had to have been able to serve during this time.
“I love the virtual intake process because I am still able to meet with the clients, even though it has not been in person during the pandemic,” she said. “When we do intake over the phone, we’re able to connect a little deeper because we have more opportunities to talk after the initial response.”
Shelly has been a great asset to the Illinois region and beyond. Her positive attitude and strong work ethic have helped people in numerous situations during her time as a volunteer. For Shelly, it is something she enjoys doing.
“I love everything about Red Cross. I wish I had known what the Red Cross did a long time ago, I would have gotten involved long before I did. Four years ago, I had no idea all they did; it just amazes me.”
If you would like to sign up as a Red Cross volunteer, please click here.
In March, the American Red Cross of Illinois is honoring the people who make its mission possible every day during its annual Red Cross Month celebration – a national tradition started nearly 80 years ago when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first national Red Cross Month proclamation recognizing those who give back through the American Red Cross. Each U.S. president has issued a proclamation ever since. Join Red Cross Month by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation, sign up to give blood, become a volunteer or take a class in lifesaving skills, such as first aid and CPR.
Written by Illinois Region Communications Manager Brian Williamsen
Over the years, Rick Daitchman has dedicated a lot of time to the Red Cross through volunteering and donating blood. His parents inspired him to serve others.
“My father and mother were always helping people. That’s one of the things that I remember. They treated people right and helped,” Rick says.
Rick’s drive to help others stems back to when he was a college student during the Vietnam War.
“I got lucky,” says Rick. “I had a high number in the draft and didn’t get picked. I have a lot of friends who went to Vietnam and aren’t here anymore, so I just decided to give back to those people.”
Rick’s been volunteering with the Red Cross since 2009 but has been donating blood for almost 30 years. Most recently, Rick donated his 60th unit of blood!
“I don’t really think about it as a big deal anymore. I just think of it as something I look forward to. And I like the cookies! I like the experience and I like to joke around with the staff,” says Rick.
As a volunteer, Rick has worked with Disaster Cycle Services on the Sound the Alarm campaign and was also one of the first volunteers to be part of the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). This program provides information about Red Cross services to military recruits and families before they are deployed.
Thanks to the Red Cross, Rick is trained in first aid and CPR. And since he retired at the end of 2020, he looks forward to spending more time volunteering.
The American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign operates year round including our Sound the Alarm initiative. Within STA, volunteers go into local neighborhoods and install free smoke alarms for residents and provide fire safety education.
While weather can be unpredictable across the 21 counties within the Chicago & Northern Illinois region, volunteers are prepared to go out in all kinds of weather to install the life-saving smoke alarms.
On November 9, 2019 a small group was in Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood installing alarms. Volunteer and Regional Preparedness Program Lead Susanne Peters, along with fellow volunteers Tammy Dudley, Stephen White, and Joshua Hamlett spent Saturday in the community installing 20 alarms and making 9 families safer.
Upcoming events will be happening throughout November and December and into the new year.
Doreen McCullough and the two volunteers who installed smoke alarms in her home that ultimately saved her family’s lives from a fire
On September 3, 2019 a vacant trailer caught fire on Bildahl Street in Rockford, Illinois and quickly spread to the home next door where the McCullough family were all sound asleep.
As the smoke drifted in an upstairs window of the home, it set off a smoke alarm waking up 12-year-old Makila. She went downstairs and woke up her mother, Doreen, who then woke up her other daughter, 25-year-old Carmen.
“All I could see was this big orange ball of fire, I mean it was huge,” Doreen said. “I froze, I think I was in shock.”
The entire family escaped the house as the flames started to envelope an entire side of the home. Doreen and her husband Lial as well as their two daughters, Makila and Carmen, all sat across the street in the early morning hours and watched the home they had lived in for nearly 12 years go up in a ball of fire. Soon the Rockford Fire Department arrived and put out the fire, but not before the house was damaged to the point of being unlivable.
The McCullough home on Bildahl Street on September 3, 2019. Photo Credit: Rockford Fire Department
A local husband and wife volunteer team, Scott Suma and Kate Rehak, responded to that fire and helped the family figure out what to do in the coming days and navigate the confusing time after a home fire.
Red Cross volunteers and married couple Scott and Kate comfort Doreen in the days following her home fire
On May 11, 2019 two different volunteers with the Red Cross had previously installed multiple smoke alarms in the McCullough home on Bildahl Street during a Red Cross “Sound the Alarm” smoke alarm installation event.
“Sound the Alarm” is part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign initiative to install free smoke alarms in thousands of homes across the country, teach home fire safety and help families make home fire escape plans. Every day, seven people die in home fires, with most victims in homes that lack working smoke alarms. The Home Fire Campaign is working to improve the odds and save lives, and four lives were saved this September in Rockford thanks to working smoke alarms installed by the Red Cross.
The volunteers from the installation, Sunilkumar Ravindran and Northwest Illinois Chapter board member Steve Gitz, reunited with the family in front of their fire-damaged home in October, where Doreen offered “thanks yous” and hugs to the volunteers.
Volunteer Sunilkumar was one of the volunteers who installed smoke alarms in the McCullough home just months before the fire
Doreen and her family credit the smoke alarms with saving their lives and giving them extra time to escape the fire, which Doreen says was especially important for her daughter, Carmen, who is autistic.
The family pets, two dogs and a cat, also escaped the home safely with help from Rockford firefighters.
“But the smoke alarm upstairs is what saved us because if it wasn’t for that smoke alarm we wouldn’t be sitting here right now,” Doreen said as she sat with Lial on the home’s front porch.
In just five years, our installation events have accomplished so much across the country including the installation of more than 1.8 million smoke alarms and preparing more than 1 million people against home fires. People who don’t have smoke alarms or need them checked can sign up for an appointment by going to www.getasmokealarm.org.
PRACTICE YOUR PLAN AND TEST YOUR ALARMS For free home fire safety resources, visit redcross.org/homefires or download the free Red Cross Emergency App (search “American Red Cross” in app stores).
Include at
least two ways to get out of each room in your home fire escape plan.
Select a
meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s
home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can
meet.
Practice your
escape plan
until everyone can get out in two minutes or less.
Install smoke
alarms
on every level of your home, placing them inside and outside bedrooms, and
sleeping areas.
Test smoke
alarms monthly, and change the batteries at least once a year, if your model
requires it.
Video produced and article written by Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois Communications Manager, Holly Baker
On April 27, 2019 nearly 100 volunteers gathered at Columbus Park in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood for an American Red Cross “Sound the Alarm” event.
Chicago Fire Commissioner Richard C. Ford as well as Alderman Taliaferro and the CEO of the Red Cross, Celena Roldan, spoke to the volunteers and emphasized why what they were about to do was so important.
“Sound the Alarm” is the Red Cross’ life-saving campaign to install free smoke alarms in homes across the country and it takes many community partners, sponsors and enthusiastic volunteers to make it happen.
Denise Daichendt of Norwood Park was one of those volunteers. She has helped out with many other volunteer organizations, but this “Sound the Alarm” event was the first time she was volunteering with the Red Cross.
When she heard of the program through another volunteer, she immediately thought of the two young brothers lost to a terrible fire in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood in January of this year: Abelardo and Pedro Sanchez. They were just 25 and 16 years old. Pedro had sat right next to Denise’s son in chemistry class at Lane Tech High School.
The Chicago Fire Department reports that a fire broke out at their home on W 53rd Street around 8:30AM during Chicago’s “polar vortex” week in January. School was not in session due to the cold weather and the young men became trapped in the home’s attic from the heavy fire. The department also reports that there were no smoke alarms in the attic area.
Denise decided to sign up as a volunteer and dedicated the event to Abelardo and Pedro; writing their names on the back of her volunteer shirt.
“Something in me was just bursting to dedicate this to them,” Denise said. “It didn’t feel right if I didn’t.”
Denise, a mother of 6, along with other local families and Lane Tech’s director of culture and climate also helped organize a balloon memorial for the brothers and helped the family with collecting donations and getting new furniture. She says hopefully they can move back into their home soon.
“It was devastating, I can’t imagine what their mother goes through,” Denise said.
Denise says she wanted to honor the brothers and hopes that by sharing the story, more people will learn about fire safety and make sure their homes are equipped with working smoke alarms. After being a volunteer firefighter in college, she says it’s not enough to teach children about fire safety at school- it has to get to adults as well.
The components of “Sound the Alarm” include installing new smoke alarms with 10-year batteries and also going over fire safety with members of the household. Volunteers also provide families with a home escape plan so families can create and practice their plan to escape from their home in the event of a fire.
During the April 27th event, Denise says she visited a home in the neighborhood that had just had a fire in the basement days earlier and her volunteer team was able to install multiple alarms in the home, thinking of Abelardo and Pedro with each one.
“You see the Red Cross at like, hurricanes and different disasters like tornadoes, but you don’t know all the aspects of what the Red Cross does so this was a great experience.”
The family and the community is deeply mourning the loss of these beloved family members. “They were lives lost too soon.”
When David Barnfield was just 9 years old, he was already learning the fundamentals of life-saving skills like CPR through the British Red Cross while living in Yorkshire, England. He was active as a volunteer and says being with the Red Cross was a great experience.
A young David Barnfield (right) is pictured below at 16-years-old at a youth event in Germany with the American Red Cross.
Over 60 years later, David jumped in once again to help out as a volunteer with the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois’ “Sound the Alarm” campaign to install free smoke alarms in North Lawndale on May 18. David’s adult son, Mark, is now an employee of the American Red Cross which is what led to the volunteer experience becoming a family affair.
Mark (L) and David(R) Barnfield are now part of a multi-generational Red Cross family.
David’s son, Mark, says having his dad there as a volunteer was a memory he will cherish forever.
“I don’t often get to share experiences with my Dad because we live so far apart. It was special to have him there so he could see what we do every day, and meet some of the amazing people I get to share my workdays with,” Mark said.
David says in his youth, he became a CPR trainer and taught CPR skills to groups. He was also trained in “mother care” and “home nursing duties” through the British Red Cross volunteering to help families and the elderly.
Now, David can say he’s volunteered on multiple continents with the Red Cross and says no matter where you are in the world, the Red Cross is an organization looking to help people.
“I’m sure in a world emergency we’d all work together to acheive a common goal,” Barnfield said.
On Saturday morning, April 27, 2019 local volunteers, firefighters, and Red Cross staff began to gather at Columbus Park in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood to kick off another successful Sound the Alarm event. Among many of the volunteers and firefighters in attendance at the event were many supporting partners including Chicago Fire Commissioner Richard C. Ford, Alderman Chris Taliaferro of the 29th Ward, and volunteer teams from local organizations like AllState.
“We’re here because this is something we truly care about… Because I can’t say it enough, smoke alarms save lives” said Fire Commissioner Ford. The Red Cross Sound the Alarm series is part of the larger Home Fire Campaign initiative to mitigate the risk of fatalities in home fires. On average, 7 lives are lost every day to home fires. Most of these fatalities include small children and the elderly.
Commissioner Ford addresses the volunteers before “Sound the Alarm” installations begin.
Many people believe that
they have at least 5 minutes to escape their home in the event of a fire. In
reality, that time is only about 2 minutes.
Commissioner Ford says that “Thanks to the efforts of the Red Cross, hundreds
of people will have that extra time if a fire does break out. That extra time
is provided by a working smoke alarm.”
Red Cross CEO Celena Roldán described how Sound The Alarm had a direct impact on the lives of a grandmother and her grandson in the Austin neighborhood just a few short years ago in December 2016. “I am proud to say they received a free Red Cross smoke alarm installation, coupled with Home Fire safety education. They experienced a home fire and escaped safely, ” says Roldán.
Volunteers for Sound the Alarm started the day with a quick training on how to install fire alarms in local homes around the Austin neighborhood. As the morning rain started to freeze and turn to snow, the Red Cross organized teams of volunteers to go out and start the installations. Hundreds of appointments had been collected in the previous weeks of local residents asking for a smoke alarm. “It may seem simple to knock on someone’s door. It may seem simple to go out and install a smoke alarm in someone’s home… But that’s nearly 5,500 residents [in the Austin neighborhood] that are affected [by Sound the Alarm].” said Alderman Taliaferro.
Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped out on Saturday with installing nearly 1,000 smoke alarms!
At the end of the day, there were 739 smoke alarms installed and 243 homes were made safer in Chicago this Saturday. This adds to the 684,260 households made safer by the Home Fire Campaign since it began in 2014.
Volunteer Morrie Bowie installs a smoke alarm in a local home
There are many ways to get involved with the Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign in your neighborhood. Visit www.redcross.org/chicago to learn more about how to prepare your home to prevent, respond to, and recover after a home fire. You can also make a donation or join the Red Cross volunteers to Sound the Alarm and save a life!
Written by Red Cross communications volunteer Lexi Wyrick.
American Red Cross of Illinois 