American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Emergency Preparedness Program
February 28, 2008
ST. LOUIS, MO (Feb. 28, 2008) – The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter today launched the Red Cross Ready Rating™ Program, a new emergency preparedness program. The Ready Rating Program was launched with the support of the national American Red Cross, Anheuser-Busch, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, St. Louis City, and St. Louis County. The five-step program is designed to help businesses, organizations, and schools become better prepared for emergencies — and revolutionizes the process by making preparedness measurable and visible. Anheuser-Busch was instrumental in launching the program with a donation of $250,000.
“Emergencies and disasters are inevitable, and the Red Cross has a breadth of experience dealing with their aftermath,” said Joe White, CEO of the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. “We’ve used this experience to develop a program that will prepare our local organizations to respond and recover much more effectively. We believe this program brings new elements to emergency preparedness, such as a membership model, readiness scoring mechanisms, and public recognition for improving preparedness.”
“Anheuser-Busch has a long history of supporting the American Red Cross and providing aid to victims of disasters,” said Dave Peacock, Vice President of Marketing at Anheuser-Busch, Inc. and a board member of the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. “To us, it’s only fitting to serve as the founding sponsor of the Red Cross Ready Rating Program because this program brings together support of our communities with something else that’s so important to us at Anheuser-Busch: our employees. We want to keep our employees and their families safe, and preparedness is the first step.”
The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter invested nearly two years in the development of the Red Cross Ready Rating Program as part of its work to increase its ability to respond to an emergency as well as increase the community’s level of preparedness. The Chapter’s primary research showed a need for better preparedness efforts and access to information. In the 2007 American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Preparedness Survey, more than half of St. Louis-area residents said they don’t feel prepared for an everyday emergency, let alone a catastrophic event.
The Ready Rating Program provides a five-step framework that guides Members to fulfill important steps to improve their level of emergency preparedness. The five steps are:
1. Commit to membership in the Ready Rating Program. This step involves submitting a Membership Agreement and completing an online preparedness assessment.
2. Conduct an initial analysis and disaster vulnerability. This step involves gathering information about possible emergencies and the Member facility’s capabilities to respond.
3. Develop an emergency response plan. The step involves describing the steps the Member organization will take to protect people and interests before, during, and after emergencies.
4. Implement the emergency response plan. During this step, Members integrate preparedness as part of the organizational culture.
5. Make at least one additional commitment to improve the preparedness of the overall community. Examples of fulfilling this step could include conducting regular blood drives, offering space for shelters, or donating emergency supplies.
Ready Rating Program Members will be given a recognition Seal that can be publicly displayed. The Seal helps Member organizations communicate their commitment to proactively prepare for emergencies.
While the Ready Rating Program focuses on preparedness at the organizational level, it also requires businesses, organizations, and schools to encourage individuals to prepare at home. The Red Cross cited this as the ultimate goal of this program.
“We each have a personal responsibility to do our part to be ready,” says White. “If we are prepared for the large-scale disasters, we’ll be ready for the everyday emergencies that occur, natural or man-made.”
For more information about the Red Cross Ready Rating Program, visit readyrating.redcrossstl.org.
About Anheuser-Busch
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.4 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country’s best-selling premium beer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2007. Anheuser-Busch is one of the large theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans, and one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www. anheuser-busch.com.
About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter
Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter celebrates 91 years of dedicated service, providing emergency relief and preparedness training more than 410,000 times each year. The Red Cross is not a government agency and depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first-aid and CPR training, water safety, services to military personnel, and support for blood services. The Chapter, a United Way agency, provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe, St. Clair (including Scott Air Force Base), and part of Madison counties in Illinois. All disaster relief services are provided free of charge, thanks to the generosity of the American people. To learn more about Red Cross programs, volunteer opportunities, and how you can help, contact the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314-516-2800 or www.redcrossstl.org.
February 28, 2008
ST. LOUIS, MO (Feb. 28, 2008) – The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter today launched the Red Cross Ready Rating™ Program, a new emergency preparedness program. The Ready Rating Program was launched with the support of the national American Red Cross, Anheuser-Busch, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, St. Louis City, and St. Louis County. The five-step program is designed to help businesses, organizations, and schools become better prepared for emergencies — and revolutionizes the process by making preparedness measurable and visible. Anheuser-Busch was instrumental in launching the program with a donation of $250,000.
“Emergencies and disasters are inevitable, and the Red Cross has a breadth of experience dealing with their aftermath,” said Joe White, CEO of the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. “We’ve used this experience to develop a program that will prepare our local organizations to respond and recover much more effectively. We believe this program brings new elements to emergency preparedness, such as a membership model, readiness scoring mechanisms, and public recognition for improving preparedness.”
“Anheuser-Busch has a long history of supporting the American Red Cross and providing aid to victims of disasters,” said Dave Peacock, Vice President of Marketing at Anheuser-Busch, Inc. and a board member of the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. “To us, it’s only fitting to serve as the founding sponsor of the Red Cross Ready Rating Program because this program brings together support of our communities with something else that’s so important to us at Anheuser-Busch: our employees. We want to keep our employees and their families safe, and preparedness is the first step.”
The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter invested nearly two years in the development of the Red Cross Ready Rating Program as part of its work to increase its ability to respond to an emergency as well as increase the community’s level of preparedness. The Chapter’s primary research showed a need for better preparedness efforts and access to information. In the 2007 American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Preparedness Survey, more than half of St. Louis-area residents said they don’t feel prepared for an everyday emergency, let alone a catastrophic event.
The Ready Rating Program provides a five-step framework that guides Members to fulfill important steps to improve their level of emergency preparedness. The five steps are:
1. Commit to membership in the Ready Rating Program. This step involves submitting a Membership Agreement and completing an online preparedness assessment.
2. Conduct an initial analysis and disaster vulnerability. This step involves gathering information about possible emergencies and the Member facility’s capabilities to respond.
3. Develop an emergency response plan. The step involves describing the steps the Member organization will take to protect people and interests before, during, and after emergencies.
4. Implement the emergency response plan. During this step, Members integrate preparedness as part of the organizational culture.
5. Make at least one additional commitment to improve the preparedness of the overall community. Examples of fulfilling this step could include conducting regular blood drives, offering space for shelters, or donating emergency supplies.
Ready Rating Program Members will be given a recognition Seal that can be publicly displayed. The Seal helps Member organizations communicate their commitment to proactively prepare for emergencies.
While the Ready Rating Program focuses on preparedness at the organizational level, it also requires businesses, organizations, and schools to encourage individuals to prepare at home. The Red Cross cited this as the ultimate goal of this program.
“We each have a personal responsibility to do our part to be ready,” says White. “If we are prepared for the large-scale disasters, we’ll be ready for the everyday emergencies that occur, natural or man-made.”
For more information about the Red Cross Ready Rating Program, visit readyrating.redcrossstl.org.
About Anheuser-Busch
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.4 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country’s best-selling premium beer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2007. Anheuser-Busch is one of the large theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans, and one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www. anheuser-busch.com.
About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter
Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter celebrates 91 years of dedicated service, providing emergency relief and preparedness training more than 410,000 times each year. The Red Cross is not a government agency and depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first-aid and CPR training, water safety, services to military personnel, and support for blood services. The Chapter, a United Way agency, provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe, St. Clair (including Scott Air Force Base), and part of Madison counties in Illinois. All disaster relief services are provided free of charge, thanks to the generosity of the American people. To learn more about Red Cross programs, volunteer opportunities, and how you can help, contact the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314-516-2800 or www.redcrossstl.org.