Wednesday, September 30th  Tip of the Day
Help your local American Red Cross help your community!  The Red Cross is a non-governmental humanitarian agency and relies on the support of people like you to continue its life-saving mission.  Blood donations are a fast and easy way to help.  Financial donations can be directed to a program or service you want to help such as Disaster Relief or Services to the Armed Forces.  Donations of your time are also needed to keep our programs running and Red Cross volunteer opportunities can fit into anybody’s schedule.  Please visit us at http://www.redcrosslbcc.org/ or call 215-946-4870 for more information on volunteering, preparedness or donating.  Thank you for letting us share with you our 30 ways to get prepared this September!    

Tuesday, September 29th  Tip of the Day
Tuesday, September 29th Tip of the Day: How fast can an errant ember from cigarettes or candles turn into a raging fire?  About 2 and a half minutes.  Watch the video as this living room quickly goes from spark to flashover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fePiFdt4fc8&feature=related then contact your local American Red Cross to find out how you can be more prepared. 

Monday, September 28th  Tip of the Day
Families may get separated when disaster strikes.  Teach children to call 1-800-THE-LOST if they are missing and teach family members about the Red Cross Safe and Well website at https://disastersafe.redcross.org/ which helps reunite people separated by disasters.  After Hurricane Katrina, over 5,000 children were separated from their families.  One of the most important tools for law enforcement to use in the recovery of a missing child is an up-to-date, good-quality photo along with descriptive information.  Have current photos of children and pets by taking pictures when you are evacuated.  Camera phones can make this easy.  Periodically e-mail digital photos of all family members to extended relatives and friends to better help identify and reunite loved ones.  Give children identification information to carry including how to contact you or other family members and friends or for children who cannot speak, write this information with indelible marker on your child’s body.  Tips to create a Child ID kit can be found here: Child ID Kit Tips.

Sunday, September 27th  Tip of the Day
Get Involved!  Your local community needs your help and there are many non-profit groups which offer volunteer opportunities to match your schedule and interests.  Consider joining a community based organization like the Medical Reserve Corps BCMRC, Citizen Corps CitizenCorps, County Animal Response Team CART, American Red Cross ARCLBCC or other community group.   Your involvement will help to make your community safer, stronger and better prepared.

Saturday, September 26th Tip of the Day
Have a hand-cranked weather and news radio – these radios can work with or without batteries and may be the only way you can get news and emergency information during a disaster.  Many models have cell phone chargers and flashlights.  Some models are also equipped with an emergency siren and are water resistant.  Check out the Red Cross Store at http://www.redcrossstore.org/ for deals on weather radios.  You can also find these radios at many electronics stores and online which will fit into any budget.      

Friday, September 25th Tip of the Day
In disasters, clean water may not be available.  If you don't know the level of purity of the water, it should always be treated.  Treat water one of two ways which are also listed here: Water Treatment.  Bring water to a rolling boil for 3-5 minutes.  Wait for it to cool, then use for drinking, cooking or hygiene.  You can also use household liquid bleach to kill microorganisms. Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, color-safe bleaches or bleaches with added cleaners. Add 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water stir and let stand for 30 minutes.  Flood water can be contaminated by toxic chemicals – Never try to treat flood water.

September 24th Preparedness Tip of the Day
Purchase new Tot Finder stickers for your children’s rooms.  These reflective stickers are placed on the bottom of a child’s bedroom door so that fire fighters can more easily spot them as they move through your house.  Remove old Tot Finder stickers if children no longer occupy those rooms.  Visit http://totfinder.com/ for information and products specially designed to keep your children safe in the event of a house fire.   

September 23rd Preparedness Tip of the Day
Do you know how to use your fire extinguisher?  Take the time now to read the instructions and make sure that they are properly charged and maintained.  Only working fire extinguishers save lives.  Information on http://www.fireextinguisher.com/ can help you to learn more about fire extinguishers and how to use them.  

September 22nd Preparedness Tip of the Day
We ask each resident to Be Red Cross Ready, but there are a few items that you may want to include that are not normally on the emergency kit list.  Have a picture of your family.  Not only may you need it to help locate a lost loved one, but you can also help reduce the anxiety in small children caused by a missing parent or sibling.  Also, you might want to pack a few travel games and candy.  This may also help calm children who are scared and need a distraction from the current situation.   

September 21st Preparedness Tip Of The Day:
Keep pets safe during disasters.  Pets are especially vulnerable during disasters and may very well become separated from you.  Consider micro-chipping your pet or buying a Together Tag from http://www.togethertag.com/.  Together Tags are the result of a partnership of the American Red Cross, Dogster.com and Catster.com and use a nationwide recovery system to reunify you with your pets. 

September 20th Preparedness Tip of the Day
Power outages are a pain!  And when you have food in the fridge, how long will it stay safe and edible?  Bucks County provides a helpful list at HERE which will help you decide what food to toss and what to keep.  Brush up on how to stay safe in a power outage with this Red Cross checklist: Power Outage Checklist

September 19th Preparedness Tip of the Day
Over 14,000 fires are caused each year when lint from dryers collects and catches fire.  Lack of maintenance is the largest cause of these fires.  Accumulated lint clogs the dryer vent pipe, preventing heated air from escaping, which raises the dryer temperature.  Lint acts as the kindling.  Clean out the lint trap after each load of laundry is done.  There is no standard amount of time that says when you should clean your dryer hoses and vents but a good indication this needs to be done is when loads take over 40 minutes to dry.  For a video about how to safely clean your dryer vent, click here: Dryer Safety.

September 18th Preparedness Tip of the Day
Among Red Cross donors in a given year, 18% donate occasionally, 38% are first time donors, and 43% are repeat and loyal donors.  A blood donation can save up to three lives.  To view upcoming blood donations, click HERE.

September 17th Preparedness Tip of the Day
Regardless of how a flood occurs, the rule for being safe is simple: Head for higher ground and stay away from floodwater. Almost half of all flash flood deaths happen in vehicles.  As little as 6” of water can cause you to lose control or stall your vehicle.  A foot of water will float most cars and two feet of rushing water will sweep most vehicles, including SUV's and pickups. Check out our Flood Preparedness Facts and Tips HERE.

September 16th Preparedness Tip of the Day
The American Red Cross has made it even easier for you and your family to get prepared for disasters and emergencies at Be Red Cross Ready.  Click on this completely new interactive site for a customized Emergency Preparedness Kit shopping list and Emergency Disaster Plan based on your family’s needs.  We also provide some great CPR and First Aid videos which could help you save a life.  There’s also the Prepare4 game, a downloadable emergency contact card and a lot more.  This is your one-stop-shop for preparedness!

September 15th Preparedness Tip of the Day
Are you my type?  Every minute, someone depends on blood donations to stay alive but most people who are eligible to donate, don’t.  Blood is needed every 2 seconds for emergencies and for people who have cancer, blood disorders, sickle cell, anemia and other illnesses.  Some people need regular blood transfusions to live.  One blood donation can save up to 3 lives!  You can donate blood every 56 days and you only have to wait 3 days between platelet donations.  Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to make an appointment today or log on to givelife.org/.

September 14, 2009 – Preparedness Tip of the Day
Know the difference between weather WATCHES and WARNINGS.  “Watches” indicate that severe weather is possible in your area.  “Warnings” indicate that severe weather is occurring or will soon occur in your area.  Knowing what these terms mean can help you prepare for weather emergencies.  Your current weather conditions can be found at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at NOAA.gov.   

September 13, 2009 – Preparedness Tip of the Day
Use caution with candles!  Did you know that 15,000 residential candle fires are reported annually?  Never leave candles unattended especially around children and pets.  Use a candle snuffer to extinguish the flame – using water may cause wax to splatter or glass candle holders to break.  Blowing out a candle may send embers flying.  Keep candles on a steady surface and away from all flammable items.  Better yet, buy a Red Cross battery-operated lantern at Red Cross Lanterns to get you through emergencies. 

September 12, 2009 – Preparedness Tip of the Day
Create a family meeting place outside of your home in case you need to evacuate due to a house fire or other emergency.  Practice your evacuation plan twice a year.   Teach children not to hide in closets or under beds, and more importantly to stay out and not reenter the home once they evacuate.   It only takes minutes to decide on meeting places and to practice your evacuation plan but it can save lives.  For more information on how you can communicate with your family about preparedness, click Here.

September 11, 2009 – Preparedness Tip of the Day
Get insured!  Is your insurance up to date?  Are you covered for fire, floods and wind?  Property insurance policies usually exclude coverage for flood damage. Find out from your local government office if your home is located in a flood zone and ask around to find out whether your location has been flooded in the past.  Check out http://www.iii.org/ for insurance information and a free online home inventory program.

September 10th, 2009 - Preparedness Tip of the Day
Do you know what to do during an oil or grease kitchen fire?  Don’t panic!  You can turn a potential catastrophe into just a bad scare.  First, turn off the heat, then run a dishrag under water, ring it out and carefully place over the fire until extinguished.  Never throw water on a pan fire.  For a great, short video of how to extinguish a kitchen fire and the result of kitchen fires on property and people, check out the following link: Kitchen Fire Safety.   

September 9th, 2009 - Preparedness Tip of the Day
Do you live on the second floor or higher?  Fires kill more Americans each year than all natural disasters combined.  A fire may cut off your escape through normal exits but an emergency escape ladder will help you leave quickly and safely.  Just make sure that the ladder is long enough to get you safely to the ground.  These can be purchased online or in many retail stores.  Tips for choosing the right emergency escape ladder for you needs can be found HERE.

September 8th, 2009 - Preparedness Tip of the Day
Bucks County, PA will offer seasonal flu vaccines on Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  This is not the vaccine for the H1N1 Flu; there is currently no vaccine available for H1N1.  Four locations will be announced in the coming weeks for members of the public to receive seasonal flu shots.  The Centers for Disease Control suggest the following groups be vaccinated: children age 6 months through 18 years, pregnant women, adults age 50 or older, people with long-term health problems, weakened immune systems or living in nursing facilities and health care providers.  For those unable to make the flu drill on October 17th, see your primary care physician, go to your local grocery store or pharmacy, or go to www.findaflushot.com to locate the nearest clinic.  

September 7th, 2009 - Preparedness Tip of the Day
Invest in a fireproof box for your home.  Keep important papers in a fireproof storage box or in another location entirely (such as a safety deposit box). Be sure to store insurance papers, birth certificates, banking information and other important documents.  These boxes can be found at most retail stores and on the web and tips for buying these can be found HERE. 

September 6th, 2009 - Preparedness Tip of the Day
Rescue Rover!  Use door decals to alert emergency workers that you have pets that live with you.  Decals are inexpensive and can be found online and in pet stores.  In an emergency, police and firefighters will know that your furry family members may need rescuing.  For a free Pet Safety Pack from the ASPCA, click here: Pet Safety Pack

September 5th, 2009 - Preparedness Tip of the Day
Ambulances, police and fire fighters depend on seeing your house numbers in order to get you help in an emergency.  Make sure your house numbers are visible at night.  Numbers should be at least 4 inches high in plain block form and in a color that contrasts with the immediate background.  Branches and bushes should be pruned so they are not blocking your numbers.  These numbers can be picked up inexpensively at most home-improvement stores and online.

September 4th, 2009 - Preparedness Tip of the Day
Does your business have a continuity of operations plan in the event of a disaster or other emergency?  40% of small businesses do not reopen after a major disaster because they are unprepared.  Keep emergency supplies and resources on hand.  Back up staff, customer and contact information in a remote location and arrange for calls, emails and messages to be forwarded in an emergency so you can do business anywhere.  Conduct safety trainings like Red Cross CPR and First Aid classes and consider purchasing an Automated External Defibrillator.  Designate a staff member as your safety officer whose job it is to identify safety hazards in the workplace and to establish an emergency plan for disasters.  To learn more on how you can prepare your business for the unthinkable click HERE. 

September 3rd, 2009 - Preparedness Tip of the Day
Do you have a list of your emergency contacts and information if you and your family are displaced or separated by a disaster?  Develop an emergency contact list that includes your insurance agent, family doctor, family contact(s), utility companies, pharmacy and veterinarian and give a copy to each of your family members.  This will give you a quick reference to all names and telephone numbers that you may need in case of an emergency.  If any member of your family uses medications, be sure to keep a list of these as well.  Following a large disaster, local phone lines may be overwhelmed so add an out-of-town contact to your list.  Keep your records at a relative’s house, safety deposit box or thumb drive that is placed in your emergency supplies kit. To download a wallet sized version of an emergency contact list, click HERE.

September 2nd, 2009 -Tip of the Day
Do you have an emergency supplies kit at home and in your car?  Many of the supplies can be found throughout your home and rolling around in the back of your car.  Now is the time to gather those supplies and put them in once place that you can easily get to when an emergency strikes.  To learn more about what supplies you may need, click HERE.  We also have kits available here at the Chapter that make great gifts or as a starting point for your kit at home.  Please call (215) 946-4870 ext 114 to learn more.  Make sure you tailor any kit to your needs by including lists of medications, extra eyeglasses or contacts, pet supplies, toys for children and your emergency contacts. 

September 1st, 2009 -Tip of the Day
When severe weather or other emergency threatens where you live and work, find out first with free email and digital text alerts.  It just takes minutes to set up and you customize what types of informational “alerts” you wish to receive.  This system covers Bucks, Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester and Gloucester County, NJ.  To learn more, visit, www.readynotifypa.org.