August 7, 2007 > Fremont residents train to be ready Fremont residents train to be ready Submitted By Aleta Walther Fremont residents Reshell Friels, Breaunna Friels, Joe Page and Ana Lyons were among 48 Grainger employees that participated in the Bay Area Red Cross Chapter's launch of the "Ready When the Time Comes" program on Saturday, July 28, in Belmont. The Ready When the Time Comes program recruits volunteer teams from local corporations and trains them in emergency response before disaster strikes. The Red Cross then deploys the trained volunteers to disaster sites in the area on an as-needed basis. The American Red Cross Greater Bay Area Chapter conducted the volunteer training exercise and shelter set-up simulation at the Twin Pines Senior and Community Center in Belmont. Program volunteers received specialized training in critical disaster response areas, such as shelter operations, mass care, community response center, and damage assessment. "Grainger has a strong tradition of assisting residents and businesses in times of disaster, and our participation in the Ready When the Time Comes program is a natural extension of that commitment," said Reshell Friels, a Fremont resident and Grainger branch manager. "I have been looking for an opportunity to make a difference close to home, so when I heard about the Ready When the Time Comes program I signed up to be trained. I'm glad Grainger made this opportunity available and that I will be ready to help my community when a disaster strikes." In the event of a local, large-scale disaster, the Red Cross can count on Ready When the Time Comes corporate partners like Grainger to support their local efforts. Grainger, a local distributor of facilities maintenance supplies to San Francisco Bay Area businesses for more than 70 years, is the National Founding Sponsor of the Ready When the Time Comes program.