Bruce Grotta has been trying to get Wesleyan students interested in participating in Red Cross training for years. As Director of Emergency Services for the local American Red Cross chapter, he has seen promising opportunities come and go over the years. Continously, there has not been enough student interest to organize a training session.
Generally, training sessions with a Red Cross chapter will instruct anywhere from 10-30 volunteers. Grotta has bigger plans.
“One of my goals is to train at least 50 Wesleyan volunteers,” Grotta said. “In the event of an emergency in the area, I would be able to use them as a resource.
Red Cross training classes are free and consist of three one-hour sessions. The Red Cross provides all needed materials.
The training courses prepare volunteers to help meet the physical and mental needs of victims of natural disasters such as tornados and hurricanes, including providing food and shelter in areas hit by natural disasters.
”I can train anywhere; all I need is a television and a VCR. The training is very simplistic,“ Grotta said. ”All you need is common sense and compassion. It’s one of those skills where the less you use it, the better.“
Grotta also added that these are skills that students can take with them and apply in their own communities.
The training courses are crucial to actively participating in relief efforts. The training teaches volunteers how to give victims the physical and mental care that they need, as well as prepare volunteers for the hardships of being in a place where a natural disaster has touched down.
”There are many people in the area who call in asking to help [with the relief in Florida] but we have to turn them down because they have not had the training,“ Grotta said.
The need for disaster preparedness seems greater in light of the numerous hurricanes that have touched down along the southeastern coast of the Unites States.
Recent hurricanes Charley and Frances have devastated homes in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and Alabama. Hurricane Ivan has touched down in Grenada, also affecting Jamaica and nearby islands.
”The potential [in the future] for a natural disaster is high,“ Grotta said. ”[Connecticut] has had hurricanes before.
According to SUNY Suffolk’s website, the last hurricane to hit Connecticut was in 1938.
Hurricanes, Grotta explained, perform a service to the environment: they help to transfer heat in areas that are especially hot.
“Everybody knows about global warming, and as the world heats up, there will be more hurricanes,” Grotta said.
Grotta also said that there was a chlorine leak in Durham last month.
“But the [trained] volunteers in Durham were able to fix the problem before we arrived on the scene,” Grotta said.
This is an instance, Grotta said, when people with Red Cross training could directly assist in their community.
“There is no other organization like the Red Cross,” Grotta said. “It is apolitical; you don’t have anything except a need in order to receive our help.”
Anyone interested in receiving training from the Red Cross should contact Grotta at 860-347-2577 or via e-mail at brgrott@hotmail.com.
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