"We helped them when they needed it most"

Editors note: Christine Balestra is a Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteer in Tompkins County, and shared her story of a pre COVID-19 fire response:

I was dispatched with the rest of my DAT team around 3 a.m. on October 22, 2019 to an apartment complex for a multiple unit fire response. We arrived on the scene while it was still active and it was somewhat chaotic.  There were fire departments from multiple agencies fighting the blaze, and one of the agencies allowed us to use their extra fire truck to interview clients.  All 10 or so of the affected apartment units in the building were deemed unlivable.

All residents were accounted for by the fire chief when we arrived, but since it was the middle of the night, two families left the scene as we arrived (more on that below) and most people were in pajamas and didn't have much with them.  The people in the truck were visibly shaken, scared and tired, but one resident made sure as many of her neighbors as possible stayed in the truck to get interviewed.  

My team of four broke into teams of two to interview and provide client assistance.  One by one, they told us their stories - some hearing a "pop" sound and thinking it might be the wind; some smelling smoke and realizing that the fire was in the main hallway that connected all of the first floor units (all of the front doors faced the hallways).  Residents on the first floor fled through the back sliding doors onto their back patio and screamed for their neighbors to get out.  They then helped their second floor neighbors and their children jump from balconies to safety.  Everyone got out and everyone survived, albeit some with injuries.  There were two cats - one was accounted for that night and another ended up at Cornell's Veterinary hospital (I think she ended up ok).

None of the people I interviewed knew about Red Cross assistance, so they were all extremely grateful when we explained the assistance available to them.  To coordinate shelter for the group, one of the residents contacted a hotel that was located within walking distance from the fire - and the hotel offered to house the clients for free for the night.  Most of the families ended up at the hotel.

That night, we provided blankets, comfort kits, Mickey's and assistance cards to 8 families. One of my team mates also literally gave a victim the shoes he was wearing because that person ran out of his unit without putting shoes on.  This man was more concerned about getting his kitty companion out of the apartment (calmest cat I ever encountered - he sat quietly in the client's lap as I filled out paperwork). 

Two families left the scene immediately before we arrived at the fire. One sought shelter at a local church that night; the other ended up at the hotel with the rest of the group later that morning. So another team member and I followed up with these residents the next evening.  Both families were from another country and English was their second language.  One family was so grateful that they wanted to take pictures of my team mate and I to remember us by.  They also gave us hugs.

On a personal level, this DAT call was very rewarding for me.  Although it was a lot of people to serve at 3 in the morning, the level of service we could provide and the appreciation we received made it all worth it.  Some of these people lost everything they had and it made me feel like we helped them when they most needed it.

If you'd like to feel the same satisfaction from helping your community, start your Red Cross story at www.redcross.org/volunteer. You can also make a financial gift to help make our mission possible at www.redcross.org/donate.  

There’s great people all over.

“It’s hard to do but it is also very rewarding to know that you were there to help them.. Even if it’s just a little bit.”   

- Diane Sargent

Those were the words of volunteers Diane Sargent and Dennis Scott when I was given the opportunity to sit down and asked them about what it is that they do here at the Western and Central NY Red Cross and what keeps them going. Diane and Dennis are part of the Disaster Action Team (DAT) and they are the people who rotate on call shifts after 5 p.m. to morning on weekdays and 24/7 on weekends.

“When you’re out there in the middle of the night and it’s freezing cold and you see an individual standing out there and their house was all burnt out, they have nothing but what they have on..”- Diane

When there is a fire and the people are displaced because they cannot live in their residences, the DAT helps with their immediate needs by providing them with food, clothing, and temporary shelter to start their recovery process. The victims are eventually referred back to the Red Cross or other social services to help with their future plans until they can get back on their feet.

Dennis at a fire scene.

“We go ground-zero into the burned houses to access the damage. The grieve at the moment for the families.. we kind of feel the burden of the families because of their loss...”-Dennis

Diane recalled an incident where she visited a young mother who was hospitalized with her newborn baby after a fire that happened when she accidentally fell asleep with the candle on. “As soon as everyone had left the room and the door closes, she burst into tears. “They can’t take my baby away..” she said. Thank God I was there because I was able to comfort her, to tell her that it was all okay and that things happen but it was all an accident.”

“I got a place to come back to at the end of the day, but somebody else needs my help..”-Dennis

Diane was at the 9/11 in New York City, working in the Soup Kitchen when she saw the Red Cross working. Soon after, she contacted the Red Cross and has been volunteering ever since. Dennis, on the other hand, had always known that he wanted to help people. “I always knew I wanted to do something (to help). One day I went into Soup Kitchen to get presents for the kids because they couldn't afford it and they had set up a venue for different agencies. I saw the Red Cross and at that point, a light went on and I knew I wanted to do it.”

“Sometimes I go out (to disaster-stricken places) and see things and it gets really heavy, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”-Diane

Despite the heavy commitment required of them, Diane and Dennis have never thought about giving up. “Eventually, everybody’s houses either get rebuilt or they moved elsewhere, of course there are people who died. It’s hard, but I've never felt like giving up.” Dennis went on to add that “we might be in that circumstances one day and hopefully somebody is going to be there for us. I don’t want to give up on them because I don’t want them to give up on me in the time of need. This is what I signed up to do, it just becomes my mission. My strength and endurance is there and I just strive for it.”

At the end of our brief chat, Diane and Dennis left me with some words of wisdom. “If it (helping people) is for you, you’re not getting away from it because you know you can really help somebody, you know you can start the process of helping someone recover. When you experienced it then you’ll really understand what it is. It’s not adrenaline. It’s something special that we do. And it gives me the strength to go.” With that, the conversation ended on a positive note.

Thank you, Diane and Dennis for sharing your experiences with me!

Diane with a youngster.

“Because I give and I help. I believe when that time comes, it will come back to me.”-Dennis 

If you're interested in helping your community like Dennis and Diane, you can start your own volunteer story by visiting our website!

-Valerie Ho, Western New York Chapter Intern

Digging out, then helping out

"I'm sore!" That's what Red Cross volunteer Mike Koscielny told me when I asked him how he was doing today. Why, you ask?

Mike joined the lake effect snow relief operation on Saturday after digging himself out of his Lancaster home.

"We had almost five feet," Mike said. "Shoveled for seven hours on Tuesday, then just tried to stay on top of it."

The backyard at Mike Koscielny's Lancaster home

Mike also helped neighbors shovel and fix their snow blowers as they broke down trying to move this unprecedented snowfall. ("Mine is being held together with tape and glue."). Furnaces were also an issue, icing up because of the amount of snow.

"Even walking was ridiculous," he says. "You were sinking down to your waist, like a quicksand of snow."

Despite it all, Mike said his neighbors have kept an optimistic attitude. For the most part.

"A couple said, 'that's it. I'm moving!' But your house will still be there when the snow melts. After a hurricane, it might not be."

After putting in all this effort to dig himself and his neighbors, you might think Mike would want to take a rest. But after his street was just plowed yesterday, Mike was here at our Clement Mansion headquarters first thing this morning, on the job working Disaster Services Technology and Staffing.

"Have to help everybody else," he says. "I'm done helping family and friends, everyone is safe. Now it's time to move on to helping other people."