Red Cross Looks for More Volunteers During Busy Fire Season

As winter settles in, the American Red Cross of Wisconsin has seen a rash of single and multi-family home fires across southeast Wisconsin. Home fires can happen at any time, but they generally increase during the fall and winter, with December and January being the peak months. Since November, our Southeast Chapter disaster volunteers have responded to 84 home fires, four of those fires occurring in large 30+ unit apartment buildings. As a result of the fires, in a three-month span, volunteers have opened six shelters, staffed a total of 331 nights and worked tirelessly to deliver care and support to 524 residents as they go through the disaster recovery process.

^{_{Washington Square Apartment Resident Michelle Piche}}

On a bitterly cold night in January, Michelle Piche was one of the residents who needed support after a fire forced her entire three-story apartment building to be evacuated. Some 30 residents of Washington Square Apartments, a senior/family subsidized community in Cudahy, were displaced from their homes. “We heard the fire alarm go off and at first, we thought it was a drill, but then we found out it wasn’t,” said Piche.”

The fire started on the third floor and traveled into the attic of the apartment building. After being evacuated, residents were taken to a nearby laundromat, before being moved to the Cudahy Family Library and then to a Red Cross shelter at Holler Park, on S. Sixth St.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. While some residents have been allowed to return to their apartments, it’s unknown when everyone will be able to go back.

On Friday, January 19, the Red Cross coordinated a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) at the Kelly Senior Center to support the residents of Washington Square Apartments, who were impacted by the fire. A MARC is a one-stop shop that brings many resources into one place to streamline assistance for those in need of services. Most MARCs even offers caseworkers to help with things like legal paperwork, proof of identification and lifesaving medications lost to help get people back on their feet.

_{Washington Square Apartment residents Patrick Bowe & Willie Hodges at the MARC}

“The Red Cross has been wonderful, so much that I’d like to become a volunteer at some point, said Piche.”

The uptick in fires in southeast Wisconsin means our Red Cross disaster volunteers are feeling the strain. There is a critical need for more individuals to volunteer so we can support people, like Michelle Piche, who depend on the Red Cross in their time of need.  To check out volunteer opportunities with your local Red Cross chapter visit https://www.redcross.org/local/wisconsin/volunteer. The need to help has never been greater.

Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort Aquatics Team Honored for Lifesaving Effort

_{By Laura McGuire, American Red Cross}

^{_{From left to right: Red Cross Southwest Wisconsin Chapter Executive Director, Kyle Kriegl; Lifesaving Award recipients Danielle Roessler, Chris Arton and Darin Kuhnke; and American Red Cross Training Services staff member Tim Oldenburg.}}

On Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, aquatic managers Christopher Arthon, Danielle Roessler and their lifeguard instructor, Darin Kuhnke, were honored by the American Red Cross of Wisconsin Southwest Chapter for helping to save the life of a woman who had a medical emergency at the Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort. The awards presentation took place at 1:30 p.m. at Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center, 45 Hillman Rd.

While working at the Wildness Hotel and Golf Resort on Aug. 5, 2023, Roessler and Arthon rescued a woman who experienced a medical emergency while floating in the lazy river. The woman was not breathing and did not have a pulse, so Roessler and Arthon immediately started cardiopulmonary compressions (CPR) and delivered a shock with an automated external defibrillator, (AED). When EMT personnel arrived, the woman had regained a pulse, and the EMTs took over her care. Thanks to the quick-thinking duo, the woman is alive today.

“I am overjoyed that Chris and Danielle are receiving this award,” said Kuhnke. “I am so proud with how far they have grown in their careers. This award presentation will be a surprise to them and it’s very touching to know they will be honored in a special way for saving a life.”  

Anthon and Roessler received the Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders, which is the highest award given by the Red Cross to an individual or group of individuals who save or sustain a life using skills learned in an American Red Cross Training Services course. Kuhnke received the Lifesaving Instructor Award, which is one of the highest awards given by the American Red Cross to instructors who teach the skills that help to save or sustain lives.

Red Cross training courses are developed and taught by experts and ensure you can provide life-saving care when it’s needed most. A variety of online, blended (online and in-person skills session) and classroom courses are available. Visit redcross.org/takeaclass and sign up today to get certified in First Aid, CPR and AED.