Prior to becoming a longtime community preparedness volunteer with the American Red Cross, John Earthy reminisces about his time traveling across Southeast Asia stating, “It was my passion helping individuals, teams and organizations achieve their aspirations and missions. I took myself trekking alone for several years across Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, mostly out in remote villages. In time I found myself absorbed in the day to day lives of villagers, survival and the simpler things in life that brought safety, comfort and happiness.”

Once John returned to the U.S. after his extraordinary travels, he began to search for various ways to tackle the challenges his own community was facing. “That is when I learned about the American Red Cross and the many lifesaving ways it helps individuals and communities,” he remembered. Shortly afterwards, John began his Red Cross journey in Contra Costa County in 2014 and currently serves in Alameda County.

Since then, John has made tremendous strides in focusing on educating people about disaster preparedness. John recalls being the first volunteer team to serve the Oakland community when the Red Cross launched the national Home Fire Campaign in 2014. “I went out to knock on doors and share with residents the Red Cross’s offer of installing free smoke alarms,” he stated. John was tasked to install the smoke alarms in the area and his experiences doing so allowed him to develop a comprehensive training for the Home Fire Campaign that is now known as Sound the Alarm.

“Red Cross National’s [Community Preparedness Program Manager] Elizabeth Bubel invited me to partner with her in developing the training for national implementation. As part of this, I flew to Virginia to feature in a five-part YouTube Sound the Alarm training series, still widely used today,” he commented.

John’s dedication as a volunteer to build and strengthen partnerships has been crucial to fulfilling the Red Cross mission. John’s ability to connect with residents in their homes, thoroughly listen to their stories and concerns about natural disasters and local hazards, as well as educating Alameda County community organizations about life saving preparedness with Be Red Cross Ready prepare so you can protect presentations allows him to feel fulfilled in his role as a Red Cross volunteer. “That has been exceptionally so with Sound the Alarm: local fire departments and community organizations that have established access to communities that can be difficult to gain access to, yet are vulnerable to home fires and disasters, these community partners now hold annual Sound the Alarm events that I am fortunate to lead, organize and facilitate. I am also the Safety Quality and Effectiveness (SQE) coach, checking in with canvassing teams and those fulfilling in[1]home appointments for smoke alarms and home fire and earthquake safety information,” he stated.

At least 2,167 lives have been saved since 2014 as a direct result of the Home Fire Campaign. “The after-action sidewalk debriefs with the teams are always inspiring,” John said. “A reserve firefighter volunteer shared how stunned she was after she saw how vulnerable the family her team visited was: no smoke alarms, no knowledge of what their family would do in an emergency and how effectively the team was able to support them.” “Individual and community needs for Red Cross preparedness are substantial and the progress, sometimes one person at a time, is deeply purposeful for the Red Cross, and very meaningful for me, every time,” John remarked.

We thank John Earthy for his continuous dedication to the Red Cross by being an integral part of our community preparedness team. If you are inspired by John’s story and would like to learn more about disaster preparedness and the Home Fire Campaign, visit redcross.org/homefire.