Harold Decker Highlights Olympics Preparedness Efforts in Utah

American Red Cross
Monday, 4 February 2002

The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City is a time of global unity, but with the celebration comes an increased concern for safety. An estimated 1.5 million people will descend on a region that is at high risk for debilitating winter storms and earthquakes. Threats of terrorism in a post-September 11 world have elevated security concerns to unprecedented levels.

Disaster preparedness and health and safety experts from the American Red Cross have been working for several years alongside government and event officials to help ensure the community and Olympic spectators are safe -- not only from terrorism, but from disasters and emergencies both large and small. To care for the health-related needs of the anticipated crowds, trained first responders will provide emergency care at 15 Red Cross first aid stations throughout the region.

To highlight Red Cross efforts that have been many years in the making, Jon Huntsman, Salt Lake City civic leader and member of the American Red Cross National Board of Governors, will host an Olympics preparedness briefing. Harold Decker, interim president and CEO of the American Red Cross, will detail why being prepared is important at the Olympics and beyond.

What: Red Cross Olympics Preparedness Briefing

When: Tuesday, February 5, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Where: Huntsman Cancer Institute, 6th Floor, George S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Auditorium, Salt Lake City, Utah (attendees and media should park at the Primary Children's Hospital and ride a shuttle to the briefing).

Decker will detail the deployment of 30 lifesaving automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that trained first responders from the Red Cross will operate in areas where large crowds will gather. A trained responder using an AED can save the life of a victim of sudden cardiac arrest by delivering a lifesaving shock to the heart.

The briefing will also feature plans for the new Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter and Salt Lake City Fire Department High Performance Building for Training & Emergency Operations Center -- a project that will play an instrumental role in future preparedness efforts for the Salt Lake City region.

"The Red Cross is always there with emergency relief in the aftermath of disasters, but just as importantly, thousands of Red Cross volunteers work in communities every day to teach people the skills they need to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies and to save lives," Decker said. "It's an impressive network - human beings trained and ready to help other human beings in their time of need."

The Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to victims of more than 67,000 disasters nationwide and is the primary supplier of lifesaving blood and blood products in the United States. Each year, the Red Cross trains approximately 12 million people in vital lifesaving skills, assists international disaster and conflict victims around the globe, supports U.S. military families with emergency communications.

For more information, or to contact American Red Cross, see their website at: www.redcross.org