New Red Cross State-Of-Art Emergency Vehicle Stands Ready

NAPA and SONOMA COUNTIES, CA – The American Red Cross of the California Northwest has at its disposal a new, redesigned emergency-response vehicle to serve local communities, including Napa and Sonoma counties, during disasters.

Red Cross emergency-response vehicles are on the frontline during disasters, delivering food and supplies, often to families cut off from other services, officials said.

The design of the new vehicle was overhauled from the chassis up, making this version more nimble when encountering difficult terrain and debris, along with WiFi that enables volunteers to complete critical casework at disaster scenes, two larger feeder windows, external lighting to light dark sites, and a sliding lift-system making it easier to load supplies.

“It was a pleasure to take the Emergency Response Vehicle out to Bodega Bay for their emergency preparedness town meeting at the fire house,” Red Cross driver Kelly Bradshaw said. “The Emergency Response Vehicle is beautiful, and it was a joy to share it with the residents. We were able to share some of the important services it’s designed to facilitate.”

The vehicle was funded by The Hedco Foundation, The Bothin Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, PG&E Corporation Foundation, Paul Cleveland & Deborah Lawson, US Bank National Association, Ms. Kathryn Holmes, Kaiser Permanente, American AgCredit FLCA, The Shapiro Family Trust, many other local donors, and those who supported the Fund the Need at the 2018 Heroes event, officials said.

“Without generous donations from our community, this emergency response vehicle would not be available to serve our neighbors in times of emergency,” chapter Executive Director Jeff Baumgartner said. “We are immensely grateful for this support. This new vehicle will be based in our Sonoma office. It allows us to respond efficiently and effectively during disasters such as the recent wildfires in Lake and Mendocino counties and can be deployed across the country.”

With office locations in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties, the American Red Cross helps prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. For more information, visit redcross.org/calnw.

ALSO SEE:

• Fire-Recovery Funds Available To Napa Co. Residents

• HUD Awards $3.5M For Public Housing In Fire-Disaster Areas

--Image via American Red Cross