American_Red_Cross

The American Red Cross Don Crumpacker GEN/200 February 8, 2010 Melanie Eggers The American Red Cross Founded in 1881, the American Red Cross, aka “Red Cross,” is an international humanitarian organization led by volunteers. Its purpose is “to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield endeavors, in its international and national capacity, to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found” (American Red Cross). The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that focuses on “protecting life and health and to ensure respect for all human beings” (American Red Cross). Domestic disaster relief is the Red Cross’ primary mission and its blood bank is what most people associate with when referring to the Red Cross. In addition to domestic disaster relief, the Red Cross provides services to help the needy; support for military families; the collection, processing, and distribution of blood and blood related products; promotion of health and safety programs and international relief efforts. As the premier volunteer disaster relief organization, is not funded by any government and relies on donations and volunteers to fulfill its mission. I find the American Red Cross an interesting organization because it has many similarities with my job as a U.S. Navy Security Officer. Most of my available job assignments are directly tied to protecting overseas military installations. Two large areas of focus related to my job are law enforcement in support of public safety and also emergency management after an attack or incident to continue military operations. To successfully execute my mission, much of the training conducted by military security specialists is almost identical to the Red Cross' training and programs. Many situations that military security professionals train for are also similar the situations that the Red Cross responds. When performing disaster relief and humanitarian efforts, like the Red Cross, I work with local government agencies for aid and recovery efforts by either providing or requesting support for shelter, food, and other emergency services as required. The lessons learned by Red Cross could be extremely beneficial in helping me to improve plans for disaster/incident relief, especially in the area of sustained on-station relief efforts. Implementing their lessons learned into my response plans could help me ensure that my emergency responders do not repeat problems already experienced by the Red Cross. Contingencies for security concerns, sustained logistic support, transportation, mobility, replenishment support, and communications are all areas that I could learn from the Red Cross and its international emergency relief efforts. Humanitarian relief efforts are another job similarity that I share with the Red Cross. The U.S. Navy has provided assistance for many natural disasters like hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis. By implementing measures incorporated from the Red Cross, I could coordinate timely and effective relief-support efforts for missions that I could be involved in. The Red Cross could be a valuable resource when planning short-notice relief missions because their global presence ensures that the specific needs and requirements for disaster-related events are clearly expressed. The Red Cross could provide me with training and information that could assist me in effectively planning for relief and humanitarian operations in my area of responsibility. Training and lessons learned from the Red Cross could provide me a vast amount of knowledge and experience as a Security Officer because in many ways, their efforts are often similar to my job responsibilities. Training with and learning from the Red Cross could significantly help me to improve my plans and training for mitigating potential vulnerabilities before a casualty or incident occurs. Red Cross training and procedures could help me ensure that my emergency response team remains trained and proficient for disaster relief efforts. The American Red Cross is an excellent reference source to utilize when I develop and continue to build upon my professional knowledge base. Current information is imperative in my profession to remain proficient with tactics and capabilities employed in emergency preparedness and disaster relief. The Red Cross, with their ongoing efforts, provides current and continually evolving information is a beneficial source of knowledge that could benefit my career success by keeping me current on procedures, capabilities, and lessons learned. References American Red Cross webpage: http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d229a5f06620c6052b1ecfbf43181aa0/'vgnextoid=f5195032f953e110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&vgnextchannel=d18859f392ce8110VgnVCM10000030f3870aRCRD