By Violet Chazkel, Public Affairs Intern American Red Cross
A Coloradan individual, preferring to stay anonymous, had just left his apartment to go to a baseball game when he heard yelling and saw smoke coming from the top floor of his building. Hearing sirens in the distance, he knew there was a fire in his building.
The individuals first reaction was to make sure he saved his three cats.
Once he put two of the cats in his car, he and his girlfriend ran back inside their first-floor apartment to get their third cat and a phone.
He said the first floor wasn’t filled with smoke, so they were able to spend a few minutes making sure they had what they needed.
He was grateful to be able to stay focused on making sure his cats were safe. “Everything else can be replaced with money,” he said.
When the fire department arrived, they rounded everyone into a group and shared that the American Red Cross was there to help.
The individual shared his gratitude to the American Red Cross for providing financial support during a financially unstable time in his life.
“The little things add up,” he said said. Only having a few minutes inside his apartment, he wasn’t able to grab some daily essentials, including a toothbrush, toilet paper, socks, etc.
The individual was thankful the Red Cross provided financial support so he was able to receive the basic necessities, and that the Disaster Action Team was there so quickly.
“It’s not like we received help days afterward, it was the next day,” he said. In addition to the financial assistance, he expressed gratitude for the additional resources the Red Cross offered, “…if we did need further help, they were there.”
With about 20 people being displaced from the fire, the individual was grateful that they didn’t lose too much.
He never thought he would experience a fire, but is now more prepared and aware of safety hazards.
The individual and his girlfriend are of the thousands of people who the American Red Cross Disaster Action Teams provide support to.
Red Cross volunteers are dedicated to the organization’s mission of preventing and alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies. Disaster Action Teams make sure that people have safe housing options, food, relief supplies, and individual needs met.
Visit redcross.org/fire to learn more about home fire prevention.