Red Cross aids Box Elder in preparing for emergencies

BRIGHAM CITY — The American Red Cross of Northern Utah was called to assist a Brigham City couple and their four children last weekend after a fire destroyed their home.

The family was provided with a place to stay for a few days, some clothing and basic care items.

A donation from the Wal-Mart Foundation now makes it easier to offer shelter to families affected by similar and even larger-scale disasters in Box Elder County and surrounding areas.

Red Cross volunteers were in Brigham City on Thursday to give emergency services director Jim Buchanan the keys to a 12-by-7-foot utility trailer equipped with 200 cots, blankets and basic-care kits.

"I hope we get to take it out and look at it a lot, but never have to use it," Buchanan said.

The trailer is one of six scattered throughout northern Utah to be used individually or collectively. Because supplies are already loaded in the trailer, it makes it very easy to pick up a trailer and deliver those items to any location where a shelter is required.

To date, the Wal-Mart Foundation has provided a trailer for Box Elder, Cache, Rich and Morgan counties, and another trailer for the northern portion of Davis County. Weber County does not have a trailer yet, but it is included in the overall plan.

Buchanan plans to offer Red Cross training to Community Emergency Response Teams in Box Elder County in an effort to add to the services available in the event of an emergency.

The Red Cross welcomes spontaneous volunteers, but they are only allowed to work for seven days, side by side with a trained volunteer. A two-hour training program with the Red Cross allows volunteers to continue through the duration of a disaster, as long as a Red Cross volunteer is in the area. One-on-one supervision is not required.

Buchanan said the Red Cross program will be a useful source of cross training for CERT volunteers and a beneficial partnership for both the community and the Red Cross.

e-mail: a_macavinta@yahoo.com