"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.