Stories of the Home Fire Campaign

In January 2023, Dave, a longtime Red Cross volunteer, was among the team who responded to an Illinois apartment fire to help displaced families. One of residents, Fred, was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, and after he was discharged a couple of days later, Dave met with Fred and his wife, Gina, at their neighbor’s house.

“I’ve been through hurricanes, tornadoes — this is probably the worst,” Fred said.

In working one-on-one with the family, Dave provided emergency financial assistance for the couple to stay at a hotel and address their urgent needs while they determined their next steps. Ever since, he’s continued to help them navigate their recovery.

“Now after the fact, I call about once or twice a week to check on how they’re doing to see what kind of obstacles they’re facing and try to see if there’s anything could do to help them overcome those obstacles,” Dave said.

Fred shared he’s grateful not only for Dave’s support after the fire, but also for the free smoke alarms that the Red Cross and local firefighters had installed about a year earlier through the Home Fire Campaign. Those same alarms are the ones that awoke them to the fire in the middle of the night.

“If it wasn’t for the smoke detector, I wouldn’t be here,” Fred said.

Laurence is one of the thousands of Red Cross volunteers who touch lives every day when responding to local disasters. He recalled one of the times when a neighbor in his community needed him most after a home fire:

"It was a small, wooden shack and the Japanese gentleman living there was a gardener and artist in his 60s. In the night, a candle had fallen over, lighting up the curtains, the walls, his paintings, even his car. He found himself outside with the shorts he was wearing being the only things left that he owned.

“I speak a little bit of Japanese, so tried to communicate with him and set him up with resources. The look on his face was pure gratitude and I knew in my heart that I had just helped someone in need."

When Cathy is called into action to respond to home fires with the Red Cross, she knows there’s always one partner she can count on to be by her side.

“My husband and I got involved together,” she said of becoming a Red Cross volunteer. “There’s so many people out there struggling, and together we feel like we’ve been able to help as a team.” 

Cathy and her husband Jim are part of their local Red Cross Disaster Action Team, providing emergency assistance and care for residents coping with home fires and other disasters. Often, they respond to the scene, but may also open shelters for larger apartment fires or visit residents staying in the hospital for a fire-related injury.

“Sometimes they don’t even have cab money to get home — or a home to go back to — so our volunteers being there to provide emotional and financial support goes a long way,” she said. 

As a long-time member of a local Red Cross Disaster Action Team, Darryll sees first-hand how home fires are the country’s most common disaster.

“We have fires that occur in our communities, day in and day out,” he said.

 That’s why Darryll volunteers with the Red Cross to help ensure families don’t face these emergencies alone. After home fires, he and other Red Cross volunteers respond as a team — day and night — to provide comfort, a safe place to sleep, emergency financial assistance and other urgently needed help for people in their darkest hours.

“We want to come out and provide support, help jumpstart their recovery,” he added.

Responding to home fires is just as important as helping people prepare for the worst through the Home Fire Campaign’s Sound the Alarm events. Just ask Brian, a Red Cross volunteer who helps his community in both of these ways:

“As a member of the Disaster Action Team, I witness the aftermath of home fires and the impact they have on residents. Sound the Alarm and the year-round Home Fire Campaign provide an opportunity to meet with families before tragedy strikes, providing tips that may help prevent a fire before it starts and installing smoke alarms that will alert residents in the event of a fire. This work has the potential to save lives and has been extremely rewarding.”