What are you doing to keep me safe in here?

January is National Bath Safety Month. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages one to four years, and approximately 100 children under the age of five drown in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets each year. Drowning can occur in just seconds and in only TWO INCHES of water.

My mom often tells the story of finding me, as a toddler, stuck upside down inside my toy box. I had flipped forward onto my head while attempting to pull a stuffed animal from the bottom of the box, and there I remained – feet straight up in air – until my mom heard my cries for help and pulled me out. This scenario could just as easily have played out with a bathtub, bucket full of water, or toilet in place of the toy box, and with a much more devastating outcome.

Bathroom drowning, just like home swimming pool drowning, is preventable. The American Red Cross has compiled a great deal of valuable information on keeping infants and children safe in and around water in your home (links below), but here are a few of the most important and potentially life-saving recommendations:

- Empty bathtubs and buckets immediately after use, and use safety locks on toilets.
- Never leave infants or young children unattended in or near water.
- Never trust an older child to supervise a younger child, or trust a bath seat to keep an infant safe.
- Never allow children to roughhouse in the bathtub.

For more information on Water Safety in Your Home, click here, and for more information on Watching Children Around Water, click here.

Hurricane Cookies [Instructables]

O Positive (or not) [Burdens Do a Body Good]

First Aid Kit Releases new music video [PerezHilton]*

Google Flu Trends is a powerful early warning system for emergency departments [Science Daily]

Social Media Tracks Disease Spread [Scientific American]

2 years ago today, Haiti was struck by an earthquake. Our work there has made significant progress and there’s still much to do. We just want to take a moment today to think of all those who were affected and to thank all of you who came together so beautifully to help.

* We just get a kick out of the name of this band.

However, did you know it’s also the time of year when heart attacks are most likely to occur?   It’s true.  Sadly, between Thanksgiving and New Years, there is a nation-wide increase in cardiac-related deaths.

There are a few reason why researchers propose heart attacks increase during the winter holiday season.

1. Weather: breathing cold air can constrict the blood vessels and therefore increase the pressure causing clots to form. However, there are still a number of heart attacks in warmer weather climates.
2. Emotional Stress:  the holiday season can be a source of stress with family you do or do not want to interact along with or financial pressures with gifts and travel expenses.
3. Overindulgence: Poor eating habits, excessive alcohol or abusing drugs can lead to an increased strain on your heart.

Taking a Red Cross CPR class can help you learn how to care for a person having a heart attack and how to perform CPR for a person in cardiac arrest .   Often, cardiac emergencies happen at home or the workplace, so the life you may have to save could be that of a friend or loved one.

We know that taking a CPR course during the Holiday Season may seem impossible – but if you have three minutes to spare, we have a “Learn Hands-Only CPR” video that can help…you can always make taking the full CPR course a New Year’s resolution.

Referenced for researching this article:

Reverse Heart Disease – Solution to Holiday Heart Attacks is the Heart Fit Clinic

The Truth Behind More Holiday Heart Attacks

I won’t list all 24 (my complete list begins on November 1st and continues through Thanksgiving on November 24th) here, but I will share my top seven in hopes they get the ball rolling on all of us sharing what we’re thankful for this holiday season.

I’m thankful…
- For my mom, who encouraged me to take my very first Red Cross Health & Safety course (Babysitter’s Training) when I was 11 years old.

- For my very first Red Cross supervisor, who looked past my youth and inexperience, recognized my passion for the Red Cross mission, and opened the Red Cross employment door for me.

- For the supervisors and co-workers who followed, who taught me the ins and outs of – as well as how to survive and thrive in – this complex and extensive organization. Oh, and they also taught me all of the Red Cross acronyms.

- For an inspirational elementary school teacher and her enthusiastic and creative third, fourth, and fifth grade students, who taught me as an adult that you don’t have to be old enough to donate blood to save hundreds of lives a year.

- For the generous individuals whose seemingly routine (to them) blood donations saved the life of a wonderful friend of mine.

- For my CPR training, without which I may not have known how to clear my nine-month-old son’s airway when he choked on a Cheerio.

- For ALL of the volunteers with whom I’ve worked and without whom the Red Cross could not exist. There are few greater gifts than one’s time, and Red Cross volunteers give that gift more graciously and generously than any other group of people I have ever have the privilege of knowing.

W.J. Cameron said, “Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.”

How will you actively give thanks this week? Will you put your Red Cross training into action by teaching a CPR class or responding to a house fire? Will you donate blood, assemble Comfort Kits, or serve a meal to someone in need?

Or will you share what you’re thankful for – Red Cross-related or otherwise – in the Comments section below or on the American Red Cross Facebook page? Take this easy first step toward actively giving thanks, and then see where it leads.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Although Thanksgiving isn’t until next week, we’re sure those of you who are in charge of this famous dinner centerpiece are madly looking at recipes, making multiple trips to the grocery store, and starting your prep cooking.

Did you know that the average number of house fires DOUBLES on Thanksgiving Day – cooking is the leading culprit of these fires…so you may not want to try and channel your inner Paula Dean, unless you’ve trained her well.  One of the largest incidents of these home fires stems from the growing trend to deep fry turkeys.  Deep frying seems like a good option because: 1) it takes a lot less time to cook the turkey than baking it and 2) you have a better chance of having a beautifully moist turkey; and if you’ve eaten your fair share of over-baked turkey, you may want to convert to the fryer.

To help you, our good friends at the Department of Homeland Security have some good advice for those attempting to fry turkeys

1. Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable materials.
2. Never use turkey fryers in a garage or on a wooden deck.
3. Make sure the fryers are used on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.
4. Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. If you do not watch the fryer carefully, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.
5. Never let children or pets near the fryer even if it is not in use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot hours after use.
6. To avoid oil spillover, do not overfill the fryer.
7. Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. If possible, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.
8. Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and be careful with marinades. Oil and water do not mix, and water causes oil to spill over causing a fire or even an explosion hazard.
9. The National Turkey Federation (NTF) recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds in weight.
10. Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire. If the fire is manageable, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher. If the fire increases, immediately call the fire department for help.

For the more visual learners, here is a video from State Farm of what can happen if you do not follow the proper guidelines for frying your turkey:

State Farm Turkey Explosion

This dog must’ve taken Red Cross swimming lessons – look at his form! [I Has a Hot Dog]

Training for a plane crash [Wall St. Journal]

Maybe make this as a treat while building your preparedness kit? [instructables]

The ICRC is hosting a TED event November 27th [TEDxRC2]

For our Zombie / fitness / preparedness friends [Gadling]

As promised in last week’s post, today I’d like to share with you the experience I had here in Texas that indirectly resulted in my becoming a blogger for the Red Cross.

If you’ve read my introduction, you already know that I’ve been involved with the Red Cross for more than 20 years. Nearly every class I’ve taken (outside of college), every certification I’ve received, and all of the volunteer work I’ve done has been through the Red Cross. Additionally, my entire professional career has been with the Red Cross. Keep this in mind as I go on…

This fall both of my kids attend preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. As much as I’d like to return to work at the Red Cross, doing so isn’t in the cards right now thanks to my kids’ half-day school schedule. This half-day school schedule does allow me, however, to substitute teach.

To prepare for the upcoming school year, all of the lead and assistant teachers, as well as any substitute teachers who were interested, attended a child CPR/AED and first aid class. My Red Cross certifications in these areas had just expired, so recertifying by sitting through the class – even though I’ve taken and taught it countless times – seemed like a good idea.

The instructor rose and walked to the front of the room. She introduced herself, and hit play on the DVD player to introduce the, wait for it, AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION Child CPR/AED and First Aid course. (Insert collective gasp here.)

Though the American Red Cross/American Heart Association rivalry isn’t as well known or vicious as say, the Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees rivalry, it’s a rivalry just the same. The two organizations have the same overarching goal – to train as many people as possible in the lifesaving skills of CPR, AED, and first aid – but are constantly competing with one another to be the most-trusted and most-used heart health and safety organization.

Sitting through the American Heart Association CPR course was brutal for me, a Red Crosser for two thirds of my life. I felt guilty and uneasy, and I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting to see my Red Cross peeps scowling at me from the dark shadows in the corners.

When I finally finished my last cycle of 30 compressions and two breaths – and saved my mannequin’s life, thank you very much – I grabbed my certification and raced out of the building, fearing that if I stopped to converse with anyone I’d end up having to “explain myself”. As I climbed into my car, I knew I had to make my way back to the Red Cross one way or another, if not as an employee, than as a volunteer.

One of these things is not like the others.

I’m curious – what led you to the Red Cross? What inspired you to become a part of the organization the first time around? What inspired you to return to the organization after time away?

Interview with Carter Gibson [Community Organizer 2.0]

 The Zombie Map of the World [Guardian]

TP to the Rescue! [Louisville Red Cross]

Contagion movie catches some truth, doctors say [USA Today]*

Will it Shake? [Totally Unprepared YouTube]

* Tom Kirsch, quoted in this article, is a member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council

Emotional Bag Check [May be useful mental health tool for disasters?]

Joplin and the tornado sirens [Scientific American]

This would make an interesting Disaster Action Team call [Fire Rescue 1]

Small Talk Saves Lives [The Moth Podcast]

Volunteering will make you live longer [Yahoo! News]

A Hint from Heloise [Washington Post]

Did you find a link we should be reading and sharing? Leave it for us in the comments.

The official caption is in the first comment here. Go for it!