19

Following  a powerful, 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the province of Esmeraldas, on the coast of Ecuador on April 17, the Red Cross responded to support the needs of those affected by deploying a health Regional Response Unit (RRU) jointly with the Colombian Red Cross. The RRU was deployed to reinforce health centres and community outreach activities as well as to operate satellite health posts and mobile clinics in various locations across Ecuador.

The Canadian Red Cross' Emergency Response Unit (ERU) provides emergency medial and surgical care during disasters and emergencies around the world. Training for the ERU involves is extensive and intense,  and  includes an immersive simulated disaster training scenerio. This year, members of other national Red Cross societies joined the ERU training to help strengthen the capacity for their countries' disaster prepardness.

Every year, over 500 Canadians die in drowning-related incidents. Of these, over 90 per cent are men. Statistics, however, often mask the individual losses though and the enormous impact a drowning death can have on an entire family. Danika Crossman, boating safety program coordinator with the Canadian Red Cross, knows this loss first hand. In 2009, her uncle drowned while he was boating with his wife on Lake Okanagan in Kelowna, B.C. He was 41.

April 25 marks one year since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal, resulting in widespread destruction. Nearly 9,000 lives were lost, around 22,000 people were injured, and more than 800,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. The Red Cross, with the support of Canadians, responded immediately and three million survivors received emergency aid. Vital relief items such as clean water, food, and shelter materials, were distributed to ensure the survival of tens of thousands of affected people.

My family recently found ourselves on a Caribbean island where we were having a wonderful vacation. My husband and I have always loved the water and once upon a time were both lifeguards in Canada (let's just call us 'retired'). With two young children, we respect the ocean and are always looking for opportunities to talk over safety in the water, taking the opportunity in this case to explore ocean currents and what they mean when we're thinking about cooling off in the ocean.

Participants crouch down in groups on the ground of a hotel in Ottawa with dried spaghetti sticks and marshmallows. The aim of the team-building exercise is to work together to come up with a way to create the highest structure topped by a marshmallow. The exercise is part of a training of future Red Cross Operations Managers.

It was an emotional evening as 10 people from Alberta and British Columbia were recognized for their heroic efforts in two life-changing events and given Canadian Red Cross Rescuer Awards at a ceremony in Calgary.

We’re so lucky Nicole Fassina is a new Red Cross recruit! Not only did she fly all the way from Tajikistan to take part in Canadian Red Cross training, but she can rap with the best of them, and is a Terry Fox Award winner. Recently, Nicole was one of 26 people, along with doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators and other professionals, who attended Canadian Red Cross IMPACT training in Ottawa. IMPACT stands for International Mobilization and Preparation for Action, and helps prepare people to work on a range of Red Cross international operations.