2 members of the DAT responded to a house fire in Van Wert on January 15, 2009. The fire was quickly extinquished by the Van Wert Fire Department, and the team members were able to quickly help the residents of the home.
The Disaster Action Team started the year early, with a call from the Wren Fire Department at 2:00 AM on January 1st. 3 members of the team responded and reached the scene of the fire a little at about 3:15 AM.
2 Firefighters rest for a minute near the end of the fire.
The fire was mostly under control at that point, although the 4 departments that were there, Wren, Ohio City, Willshire, and Convoy, still had a couple of hours of work to do before they could finish up.
The members of the DAT served coffee, hot chocolate, and energy drinks, along with some snacks, to the members of the four departments, as well as letting them warm up inside the ERV until about 5:30 AM. They then headed back to Van Wert, hoping the rest of the year is much quieter.
DAT members wait to help some EMTs.
The Van Wert County Disaster Action Team was called out at 2:40 pm on December 24 for a house fire in Van Wert. A large number of members were called out because the fire looked like it could affect an adjoining building.
Fortunately, the Van Wert Fire Department responded quickly and contained the fire to a single building. Some members of the DAT provided help to the building occupants, while others provided refreshments to the firefighters.
Watching as the VWPD make sure everything is safe.
After the fire was out, the Red Cross helped arrange for some students from Starr Commonwealth to come in and help remove valuables from the house before it was boarded up. The students were a big help in getting things moved out.
The final members of the DAT that were on site left after the families got what they could from the building.
The DAT was called out Sunday night to give assistance to the Grover Hill Fire Department at a house fire in Grover Hill. The Paulding County Red Cross assisted the occupants of the home, while the 2 members of the Van Wert team that answered the call helped keep the fire department warm in the freezing temperatures.
Night at the shelter.
Friday December 19th, 2008 The American Red Cross responded to a request from the local EMA that there were people out of power and needing a shelter. The Van Wert schools offered a shelter in their Goedde Building at 205 W. Crawford Street. At 5:00 PM the shelter was opened for business.
We received our first guests at 5:15 as tenants from Homestead Village were registered and admitted to the shelter. We sheltered 12 people and provided dinner and snacks. Saturday brought a drop in temperatures and high winds which compounded the problems for Van Wert. As power was turned on our clients were able to go home, only to have the power off again and they returned.
Saturday the shelter provided relief to 7 guests for the night. Red Cross served 40 snacks and 47 meals over the two and 1/2 days. By 4:00 PM Sunday, power was restored and clients were able to return to their homes. As the shelter was closing the Red Cross received notification that one person had lost power to their apartment and the Red Cross put that person up in a hotel for the night.
The Red Cross would like to thank the following organizations for their help and support during the storm.
- McDonalds
- Van Wert City Schools (Goedde Building and custodians)
- Klostermans
- WalMart
- Hong Kong Buffet
- Burger King
- Wendy’s
- Family Video
- Counsel on Aging
- Fountain Inn
- Grief Bros. (For the donation of storage barrels)
A Disaster Action Team was called out for a house fire at 4:30 AM on December 13, 2008. Three members of the team responded initially, arriving at the fire at about 5:00 AM.
The fire was a large one, causing Wren to ask for help from 3 other departments, Convoy, Ohio City, and Willshire. The cold temperature and winds blowing the smoke and mist from the hoses out over the road and the equipment parked there made things difficult. Fortunately, there were no injuries. The Red Cross offers a respite where the firemen are able to come in and warm up.
Upon arriving, the DAT members quickly set up to pass out coffee, hot chocolate, water, or energy drinks to any of the first responders that wanted some. The coffee and hot chocolate were both very popular, with the temperature well below freezing.
After about three hours the DAT started making calls to arrange for food for the firemen. Burger King, McDonald’s, and the night manager at Walmart generously provided breakfast sandwiches and doughnuts for the 4 departments. The food was picked up and delivered to the site by a 4th DAT member, who stayed to help for several more hours.
At a bit before 9:00 AM, the Ohio City and Willshire departments were able to head home. The remaining units, along with the Red Cross ERV, were moved into the driveway to allow the road to be opened up. ODOT put salt down to cut the ice caused from the mist from the hoses over a long stretch of the road.
Two disaster action team (DAT) members remained until approximately 11:00 AM, finally leaving when the fire was nearly out.
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- The ERV at the Marathon Pak-A-Sak, getting the coffee and water for the fire.
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- The first view of the fire through the windshield of the ERV.
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- 2 teams of firefighters, pouring water onto the front of the house.
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- Smoke and mist from the hoses, blowing over the road, the equipment, and the firefighters.
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- Near the artificial ponds, set up as a water source for the hoses.
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- The rising sun shows that the amount of smoke has lowered considerably.
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- One of the first really clear views of the house as the smoke slowly cleared.
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- The clearing smoke reveals that the roof is almost gone as some firefighters perpare to go inside.
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- A DAT member, bundled against the cold, waiting for some firefighters to show up for breakfast.
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- Some firefighters take a break while waiting to find out what they do next.
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- Despite fighting the fire over 4 hours, they still need to keep water going.
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- A clear view of the damage at the back of the house.
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- Two DAT members passing out sandwiches from the back of the ERV.
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- Moved to the other side of the property.
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- Another view of the damage to the roof.
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- A burning tree forced the firefighters to move away from the house.
The American Red Cross has designated Saturday, December 6 as “Help America Saturday” in Ohio as part of its efforts to reach the $100 million fundraising goal for the Campaign for Disaster Relief.
The Van Wert County Chapter will be having a fundraising event at the Walmart at the Town Center from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm. The local Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) will be there, and they will be giving out coffee, hot chocolate, and prizes to donors. Please visit the volunteers there and donate as much as you can.
After the event
The event at Walmart went much better than expected, with the very cold temperatures keeping people home. But there were volunteers willing to spend the time at Walmart, and they helped raise funds for both local and National Disaster Relief efforts.
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- Edie and Mark discuss prizes.
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- Kevin and Eleanor campaign.
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- Lori freezing outside the ERV.
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- Lori is waiting for donors.
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- Sherri, cheerful, despite the cold.
The Van Wert County Chapter provides free HIV testing on the second Wednesday of the month at the chapter office. No appointment necessary, but testing may be canceled do to staffing issues. If you have any questions, please contact the Chapter office.
There will be a Red Cross bloodmobile held that the Van Wert YWCA, 408 E. Main St., Van Wert OH, on April 10, 2009, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Call 1-800-448-3543 to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are always welcome.
