May is Water Safety Month
Red Cross volunteers responded to 20 home fires in Chicago, Maywood, LaSalle, Woodstock, Elgin, Addison, Zion, Phoenix, Chicago Heights, Forest Park, and Calumet Park in the past week.
Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers provided assistance to 121 people, including 43 children, by supplying them with items to meet immediate needs after a fire, and additional support in the form of health and mental health services and one-on-one support as the families involved work through next steps after experiencing a home fire.
If you or someone you know needs assistance after a home fire or local disaster, please call our dispatch line: (800) Red Cross (800-733-2767).
The Red Cross responds to 60,000 disasters a year — and the vast majority of these are home fires. For disasters big and small, our volunteers provide comfort during what can be the worst days of people’s lives. Learn how you can volunteer or donate at redcross.org.
Visit redcross.org/fire for more information. Download our free Emergency app by searching for “American Red Cross” in app stores. Free resources are available to help children learn what to do during a home fire and other emergencies.
May is Water Safety Month
According to a Red Cross survey, more than half of all Americans (54 percent) either can’t swim or don’t have all of the basic swimming skills. The Red Cross and its Scientific Advisory Council recommend that everyone learn to perform critical water safety skills, referred to as ‘water competency.’ The skills, performed in a sequence, include being able to:
1. Step or jump into the water over your head
2. Return to the surface and float or tread water for one
minute
3. Rotate in a full circle and find an exit
4. Swim 25 yards to the exit
5. Exit from the water. If in a pool, be able to exit
without using the ladder
SWIM LESSONS Red Cross swim lessons help people develop skills and water safety behaviors that help them be more comfortable and safe when they are in, on and around the water. People can find age-appropriate water orientation and Learn-to-Swim programs for themselves and their family members by contacting their local aquatic facility and asking for Red Cross swimming and water safety programs, or by visiting redcross.org/takeaclass.
SWIM APP The Red Cross Swim App promotes water safety education and helps parents and caregivers of young people learning how to swim. The app has features specifically designed for children, including a variety of kid-friendly games, videos and quizzes. People can download the app for free by searching for ‘American Red Cross’ in their app store or at http://3cu.be/shareswim.
About the American Red Cross of Illinois
The American Red Cross of Illinois serves 12.4 million people in 88 counties in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri including Adams, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cook, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, De Witt, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Green, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jasper, Jefferson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Putnam, Richland, Rock Island, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Vermillion, Warren, Washington, Whiteside, Will, Williamson Winnebago, Woodford. Iowa: Lee, Muscatine, Scott and Van Buren. Missouri: Clark, Lewis, Marion and Ralls. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit us at Redcross.org/Illinois or visit us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @RedCrossIL.