Joe White, CEO, St. Louis Area Chapter

• Jack Wahl, Chapter Chair of the Emergency Services Committee
• Nancy Bates, Chapter Executive Officer of Emergency Services
• Maxine Hepper and Joyce Bathke, Chapter Executive Officers of Health and Safety
• Chris Chadwick, CEO of FOCUS St. Louis
• City of St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson
• Nick Gragnani, Executive Director, STARRS (St. Louis Area Regional Response System)

I would also like to welcome our partners in today’s event:

• Dale Pendleton, Senior Director of Environmental Health, Safety and Security for Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
• Joe Becker, Senior Vice President, Preparedness and Response, American National Red Cross 
• City of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay
• St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley
• Gary Dollar, CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis
• Alonzo Byrd, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Relations, Enterprise Rent-a-Car
• Bob Ciapciak, Principal, Edward Jones

• In Missouri, state employees who are trained as Red Cross disaster volunteers can take up to 15 days of paid time off per year to respond to in-state disasters.
• In Illinois, state and local employees who are trained as Red Cross disaster volunteers can take up to 20 days of paid time off per year to respond to in-state and out-of-state disasters.
• Corporations are stepping up as part of the new “Ready When the Time Comes” program—an American Red Cross volunteer recruitment and training program designed to tap into the people-power resources of metropolitan St. Louis businesses to create a corps of volunteers that can be mobilized during an emergency. Seven companies are now part of the program:  Grainger, Anheuser-Busch, Fleishman-Hillard, Lohr Distributing Company, State Farm, Citi, and Boeing. In all, these corporations have trained 161 of their employees as Red Cross volunteers and stand ready to give these employees paid time off to respond to disasters; these new volunteers have already been called to help during the recent flood and tornado relief efforts in our area. It’s a program that’s definitely working… 

 

Vivian Luce, Chair, Board of Directors, St. Louis Area Chapter

 

Thank you, Joe.

 

I’d like to ask each of you a few questions. By a show of hands, how many of you know the emergency plan for your children’s school? How many of you have an emergency communication plan for your family? How many of you knew what to do when the earthquakes shook our community a few weeks ago?

 

The reality is: We are at risk every day—just look at the tragic earthquake that killed thousands of people in China last week, remember the Cyclone that hit Myanmar two weeks ago, look at the tornadoes that ravaged parts of the Midwest earlier this year, look at this year’s floods—then there’s the threat of terrorism, not to mention the devastating house fires that occur in our community every day…

 

The reality is: Preparedness can make a huge difference—think about a Missourian named Helen who was asleep on the sofa with her baby daughter when a tornado ripped through her home. When Helen gathered her senses in the rubble of what used to be her house, she finally found her baby girl trapped under the sofa…the baby wasn’t breathing. But Helen was trained in Red Cross CPR—she had the skills to save her daughter’s life. And she did. Helen’s daughter is celebrating another birthday this July…

 

We have to think about being prepared for disasters—our families, friends and children are counting on us. Preparedness doesn’t have to be hard—and it doesn’t have to take much time. Red Cross can make it easy for you.

 

That’s where the Prepare Greater St. Louis Initiative comes in. The Red Cross is helping to lead the way with this emergency preparedness initiative because we’ve got the depth of first-hand experience in dealing with the aftermath. There have been many hard-earned lessons in the process, and through several programs, including the Prepare Greater St. Louis Initiative that was launched in 2004, and we’re working hard to deal with emergencies and disasters proactively.

 

And that is why we are here today to give you an update on “Prepare Greater St. Louis” and to announce significant milestones that our community has achieved in regard to preparedness and readiness.

 

First, let’s put preparedness into perspective by sharing some recent research:

• When we launched Prepare Greater St. Louis in 2004, we told you that only 2 in 10, or 20%, of Americans feel very prepared for a catastrophic event. We’re glad to report that today, nearly 30%, or 3 in 10, feel very prepared for a catastrophe. That’s a big improvement…but still 7 out of 10 don’t feel prepared. That’s over 2 million people in the metropolitan St. Louis area who are not prepared.
• In 2004, we told you that only 10 percent of households hit the preparedness trifecta: having an emergency plan, emergency supplies and training in first aid and CPR. Today, we see an increase to 15 percent. We’re making real progress…but what about the rest?
• Here’s some good news—of those Americans who are not ready, 82 percent say they would get prepared if only they knew how. That number is holding steady over time and gives us an incredible opportunity to really make a difference in helping people understand how to prepare for emergencies. 

Combine this research with the FOCUS St. Louis Regional Preparedness study that was released in September and the picture is even clearer:

• In 2006, the FOCUS St. Louis Board of Directors convened a taskforce to examine our community’s level of preparedness in the event of a disaster. The Taskforce included 29 people across the region and spent more than a year examining the issues before presenting their report last September. 
• Research included assessing the St. Louis community’s level of risk for different types of emergencies, such as natural disasters, pandemics, or chemical attacks, as a few examples. The task force looked at the potential damage that could result, examining factors such as loss of life and economic impact. 
• The Task Force found that the St. Louis region has made progress in preparing for disasters, but there are still a number of opportunities for improvement; their report outlines nearly 20 recommendations pointing the way to a safer, better prepared region. 
• There are three main elements that must be addressed to ensure that the bi-state region, as a whole, can be prepared for a disaster--1. Communication, 2. Individual preparedness, and of course, 3. Advance organizational preparation.
• One key finding is that in the event of a disaster, regardless of its size, it will be up to the individual to be trained and prepared. The public mindset of “waiting for help” must be replaced with an ability to self-sustain for a minimum of three days.

So, it’s clear on a national and on a local level that we have a way to go to be prepared for emergencies. It’s also clear that Red Cross has a pivotal role in this and it was with this spirit of community that we launched Prepare Greater St. Louis back in 2004.

 

So, what is the Prepare Greater St. Louis Initiative?

• “Prepare Greater St. Louis” helps our community best prepare for disasters and emergencies, following two distinct tracks: Track 1. Personal Preparedness and Track 2. Red Cross Readiness.
• Track One: Personal Preparedness: Red Cross said it would double its efforts to help people understand and embrace personal preparedness, with education and also with new, easier ways to prepare.
• Track Two: Red Cross Readiness: While making it easier for individuals to prepare, the Chapter said it would simultaneously implement a very aggressive five-year strategic plan to increase disaster response readiness to Level III—I’ll explain what Level III in a minute—placing Greater St. Louis among the best prepared communities in America. 
• You may be asking “why two tracks?”First of all, because personal preparedness is the cornerstone of emergency response: you need to know how to take care of yourself, and your family, if tragedy strikes…But second of all, because Red Cross will only be able to help take care of you if we are ready before a disaster ever strikes—ready to respond swiftly and efficiently with all the resources and tools already in hand…

Let me give you a few highlights of accomplishments that have been achieved in regard to Track One: Personal Preparedness:

• In 2004, we said we would double our annual disaster education outreach from 40,000 people educated per year in 04 to 95,000 in 2009. We’re pleased to report that by the end of June 2008, we will have reached over 92,000 people. So, we’ve more than doubled our outreach, and we’ve done it a year ahead of schedule…
• In 2004, we said we would make learning CPR and First Aid easier by launching on-line courses and by reducing classroom time. Red Cross now offers four safety certification courses on-line, reducing classroom time from 4-6 hours to 1-2 hours. On-line class registration is now available for all classes; thousands register on-line each year. In 2004, Red Cross trained 170,000 people in health and safety courses; now the St. Louis Area Chapter trains over 190,000. In addition, in 2007, Red Cross launched a new practice-while-you-watch First Aid and CPR course complete with a workbook, practice tools and a DVD so that people can learn the basics on their own. 
• While Red Cross always teaches people how to build their own emergency supply kit, studies show that 60 percent of those who did not have a kit would purchase one if it were available for sale already assembled. So now we have ready-made emergency supply kits with prices ranging from $20-70. Thousands are sold every year.
• Finally, we said we’d start a new public education campaign. That turned into quite the undertaking! When the Prepare Greater St. Louis Initiative was launched in 2004, we knew we had to tackle personal preparedness in a new way. In direct response to the challenges posed in the Prepare Greater St. Louis Initiative, we developed a new approach called the “Red Cross Ready Rating Program”, spending nearly 2 years in development prior to kick off earlier this year. Anheuser-Busch has worked with us throughout the development of this program, and has become the Founding Sponsor giving $250,000 to develop and launch the Ready Rating Program.

Dale Pendleton, Senior Director of Environmental Health, Safety and Security for Anheuser-Busch will later provide an update on the Ready Rating Program. At this time, I would also like to thank Dale and Anheuser-Busch for their generous sponsorship of the Ready Rating Program. The development and execution of the new Ready Rating Program is certainly a significant milestone.

 

Now, let’s talk about Track Two of the Prepare Greater St. Louis Initiative: Red Cross Readiness.

 

While making it easier for individuals to prepare, we announced in 2004 that the Red Cross would simultaneously implement an aggressive five-year strategic plan to increase disaster response readiness to Level III—the highest level of readiness that a Red Cross Chapter can achieve on its own. And we promised you that we would help St. Louis to be among the first to achieve this.

 

In the meantime, Homeland Security made this milestone even more imperative, calling for more and more cities to step-up their readiness levels. In addition, the new 9/11 Commission Act—which became law last fall—calls for Homeland Security to develop accreditation programs to measure and increase private sector preparedness.

 

We are here to announce today, that we have received official notification from the American National Red Cross that the St. Louis Area Chapter has achieved High Level III Readiness. This means that we have the people, resources, emergency supplies, shelter agreements, partnerships, and leadership in this community to immediately take care of up to 600 families following a disaster. This is the highest level of readiness that a Chapter can achieve on its own; more than this would require the resources of the nation. But wait, there’s more. St. Louis is the first Red Cross Chapter in the country to achieve this high level of disaster readiness.

 

Please join me in acknowledging the disaster volunteers and staff who teamed together to make this possible.

 

In addition, we are so very proud to announce that St. Louis community partners have stepped up to fund this initiative, helping us to sustain our preparedness and enhanced level of readiness. With our utmost gratitude, we are pleased to publicly announce that…

• Edward Jones has generously donated $300,000 to fund the Prepare the Greater St. Louis initiative over the next three years.
• The Taylor Family has donated $250,000 to the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter to sustain Prepare Greater St. Louis.
• Enterprise Rent-a-Car Foundation has donated an additional $250,000 for the Prepare Greater St. Louis Initiative.
• Finally, the United Way of Greater St. Louis continues its substantial support of Red Cross disaster and health & safety programs and has been the single greatest contributor in our ability to achieve High Level III Readiness.

In total, these sponsors have given more than $800,000 in support for the Red Cross Prepare Greater St. Louis Initiative.

Dale Pendleton, Senior Director of Environmental Health, Safety and Security, Anheuser-Busch

 

Thank you, Vivian.

 

On February 28 of this year the St. Louis Area Chapter launched the new Red Cross Ready Rating Program. The Red Cross Ready Rating program helps achieve two goals … 1) to prepare individuals and 2) to prepare the community for emergencies both large and small. 

 

The Ready Rating Program is a first-of-its-kind emergency preparedness program that not only guides businesses, organizations, and schools through the preparation process, but recognizes them for doing so with its unique membership model. What’s different and powerful about the Ready Rating Program is its ability to make preparedness both measurable and visible.

 

As a brief overview of the program:

1. Commit to membership in the Ready Rating Program.
2. Conduct an initial analysis and disaster vulnerability.
3. Develop an emergency response plan.
4. Implement your emergency response plan.
5. Do your part annually to ensure that the overall community is ready by helping to increase our overall preparedness. 

 

Membership in the Ready Rating Program is annual, and we ask that each Member increase preparedness scores during the course of the year. Members in good standing are able to display the Ready Rating Seal.

 

While the Ready Rating Program focuses at the organizational level, it also requires businesses, organizations, and schools to encourage individuals to prepare at home. That is the ultimate goal of this program. We each have a personal responsibility to do our part to be ready. If we are prepared for the large-scale disasters, we’ll be ready for the everyday emergencies that occur. A blizzard. A water-main break. A house fire. A chemical spill.

 

Not only has Anheuser-Busch made the commitment of being the Founding Sponsor of the Red Cross Ready Rating Program—and to launch this program nationally after piloting here in the greater St. Louis community—we have also made a commitment to keeping our Anheuser-Busch facilities and staff prepared in the event of an emergency.  

 

While it's important to Anheuser-Busch to assist our neighbors following a disaster anywhere in the country, it's even more important to be prepared to respond in the event of a major disaster here at home. By becoming involved with this program, we are challenging other local businesses to commit their support to this important initiative.

 

When we launched the Ready Rating Program 12 weeks ago, there was only one Member—Anheuser-Busch. I’m very proud to tell you that, as of today, thirty-two businesses, organizations and schools have become Ready Rating Members—and, Membership Agreements are currently with another thirty.

 

It is now my privilege to announce the new Ready Rating Charter Members:

AAA of Missouri
AAIM Management
Aclara
Anheuser-Busch Companies 
Beasley Elementary School
Blades Elementary School
Cejka Search
City of Florissant
City of St. Louis
Edward Jones
Express Scripts
FOCUS St. Louis
Forder Elementary School
Gethsemane Lutheran Church
Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri Council
Kennerly Elementary School
Lawson Elementary School
Lohr Distributing Company
Long Elementary School
McCurdy Elementary School
Northern Trust Bank
Oakville Elementary School
Point Elementary School
Premier Bank
Seven Holy Founders School
St. Charles County Citizen Corps Council
St. Katharine Drexel Catholic School

St. Mark Catholic School
St. Richard Catholic School
St. Simon the Apostle School
The PrivateBank
Trautwein Elementary School
Wohlwend Elementary School

 

On behalf of everyone at Anheuser-Busch, I thank you all for your support of this important effort.

 

Bob Ciapciak, Chair, Principal, Edward Jones

 

Good morning!

 

Edward Jones is proud to join such respected St. Louis institutions as the United Way, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and the Taylor Family in supporting the Prepare the Greater St. Louis initiative over the next three years. 

 

Our $300,000 contribution is more than a donation. It's a commitment to the safety and preparedness of the community we call home and the citizens we call neighbors. Earlier, Vivian said that "advanced organizational preparation" is one of the three main elements that need to be addressed to ensure that the bi-state region is prepared for disaster. We at Edward Jones agree, and we believe The Prepare the Greater St. Louis initiative will help the bi-state region achieve that goal.  

 

A family, an organization, a community can be either proactive or reactive in disaster planning. The Prepare the Greater St. Louis initiative is a positive, powerful and proactive approach to disaster planning that will ultimately save lives and property in our community.

 

I would like to applaud the American Red Cross for leading this exciting and important effort, and for inviting Edward Jones to be a part of it.