ARC Acronyms
SAF
What is Service to the Armed Forces?
This term describes the Red Cross team member who takes the initial call for a local disaster and dispatches volunteers to the scene.
Who is the Duty Officer?
Before she became a legendary chef and TV personality, she served the Red Cross in Washington, D.C., during World War II.
Who is Julia Child?
This type of plan makes sure every family member knows how to escape the home during a fire.
What is a home fire escape plan?
In this 1997 blockbuster about a sinking ship, Red Cross rescue teams are historically referenced in discussions of real-life relief efforts following the tragedy.
What is Titanic?
DRO
What is Disaster Relief Operation?
When a local disaster displaces multiple families—such as a multi-unit apartment fire—the Red Cross may open this type of temporary facility to house residents.
What is a shelter?
As a teenager in 1918, this future animation icon lied about his age so he could join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver during World War I.
Who is Walt Disney?
This common device should be installed on every level of your home and tested monthly.
What is a smoke alarm?
This 2004 climate-catastrophe film includes scenes of mass sheltering and medical care similar to real Red Cross disaster responses, even though the organization isn’t named outright.
What is The Day After Tomorrow?
GAP
What is Group/Activity/Position?
After major disasters, the Red Cross may provide this type of assistance for long-term recovery, often in partnership with community organizations.
What is recovery casework or recovery planning?
This future president served as a Red Cross volunteer in World War II while stationed in the Pacific—years before winning the Oval Office.
Who is John F. Kennedy?
This phrase describes the Red Cross approach of empowering households to reduce risks, prepare supplies, and practice safety steps.
What is being Red Cross Ready?
In this 2012 film about the end of the world, evacuation centers and relief imagery reflect Red Cross–style humanitarian operations as characters seek safety from global cataclysm.
What is 2012?
ERV/MRV
What is Emergency Response Vehicle/Mission Response Vehicle?
These volunteers support clients who experience stress, grief, or trauma after a disaster.
Who are Disaster Mental Health (DMH) volunteers?
Before becoming First Lady, she volunteered for the Red Cross during World War I, long before her work on human rights.
Who is Eleanor Roosevelt?
The Red Cross recommends having at least one of these per household for minor injuries.
What is a first aid kit?
This 1974 classic about a burning skyscraper shows emergency response crews providing aid reminiscent of Red Cross first aid stations during major urban disasters.
What is The Towering Inferno?
SCIA
What is Shelter Client Information Application?
In large disasters, this system organizes leadership roles such as Incident Commander and Operations Chief.
What is the Incident Command System (ICS)?
This American president served as President of the American Red Cross from 1910–1912, decades before he entered the White House.
Who is William Howard Taft?
This term refers to community efforts to strengthen neighborhood readiness through teamwork and shared resources.
What is community resilience?
This 1951 sci-fi disaster film includes a scene depicting a real Red Cross blood bank truck as humanity prepares for a potential alien invasion, making it one of the first film appearances of Red Cross disaster-response imagery.
What is The Day the Earth Stood Still?