Following an extreme weather warning issued by the State Emergency Service (SES) for South Australia (SA), including a fire danger rating of severe to catastrophic forecast for Monday 11 January, the Telecross REDi program was activated on Friday 8 January 2010 and operated until 11 January 2010. The Telecross REDi service - a free life-saving service

The Telecross REDi service provides phone support during extreme weather events such as heatwaves. Red Cross volunteers call Telecross REDi registered clients up to three times a day during an extreme weather event when activated by the Department of Families and Communities as part of the State Government Extreme Weather Response Plan.

The Red Cross Telecross REDi service relies on committed volunteers to function. We’d like to thank the volunteers who have supported the service throughout the heatwave, including volunteers from Pastoral Ministries and Lions Club. Telecross REDi assisted 1200 people during the November 2009 heatwave in SA. This number has significantly increased to 2550 during the January 2010 heatwave. During the January heatwave, 266 volunteers worked a total of 1258 hours, during which some 7324 calls were made. Of the people receiving the calls, 8 were hospitalised and 434 required additional help.  

We would also like to thank the Honourable Jennifer Rankine, Minister for Families and Communities and our South Australian government and non-government partners who assisted with this response.

What you can do

Red Cross has advice available on its website to assist people during extreme heat. Follow the Emergency REDiPlan links on the front page of our website (www.redcross.org.au) for more information on preparing yourself and your household for emergencies.

You can support the Telecross REDi service by: