Arriving for my DAT shift I was excited because Friday nights were supposed to be THE night for fires. Which I wanted, seeing how I had been on two rides before with no activity. While listening to the radio we kept hearing a dispatcher talking about a commercial fire at a salvage yard and noticed they were calling out quite a bit of equipment. It was a massive fire at a car salvage yard! Our team leader for the evening decided to call the dispatch to see if the chief wanted us to canteen (that is, provide water and snacks for the emergency responders.) We listened on the radio as she asked and had to laugh when we heard one of the firemen say “wondered when they were going to call.” So we promptly loaded up two extra coolers (called “cambros”) and an extra box of snacks and hit the road.
When arriving on scene we were stopped by a police officer, who made us laugh once again: she told us that we couldn’t go to the salvage office today because there was a fire and the office workers couldn’t donate blood today. After our short laughter we told her that while that is a service Red Cross provides, WE were with the disaster response. When she understood what we were there for she let us pass to the very large fire, surrounded by cars and people. We had to carry the cambros to a point at where the majority of the firemen could get to them, which meant walking through smoke. The smoke was intense and painful to walk through, and it gave me a new respect for the firemen having to deal with that daily.
When we finally set up the cambros up, on a shell of a car, the firemen were joyous to get water and punch (and oh don’t forget the cookies!). They came over in waves to get their treats and thanked us sincerely for what they received. It was nice to be able to see the workings of the fire department when no one was injured. We could just focus on how the firefighters worked to put out the fire, and how they switched trucks/units to not over exert the individual firemen. Putting out the fire was a long process that lasted well into the evening of Saturday, so not having the same firemen out there was a smart move.
Interacting with the firemen was great we were able to get their views on the Red Cross and their jobs as well. They loved the fact that we stayed with them the majority of the time and provided sustenance. We also had the opportunity to inform the salvage yard workers what the Red Cross was about, and they too seemed really thankful for that kind of service we provide. All in all the experience was fantastic. Aside from the damage that the business accumulated, it was a good night of working alongside people who cared about their jobs.
Kathrine Vigil is an AmeriCorps member for the St. Louis Area Chapter.