This morning, I woke up to a phone call around 4am from my Disaster Action Team (or DAT -- it is what we call the fire response team) Captain that there was a fire at a mobile home. So, it was time for me to get up and figure out where the fire was (maybe tonight I'll leave my laptop on just in case...) and head out to help the victims!
I felt nervous as I drove to the fire because I had no idea how bad it was or what it would be like or how the clients (fire victims) would be feeling or how they would respond to us or if we had a place to complete the paperwork. My fire captain must have sensed that I was nearby because he called me just as I was pulling into the mobile home park with some directions of where the lot was. We were meeting in the neighbor's mobile home to fill out the paperwork. I met the clients and a few neighbors as we started on the paperwork. I got to fill out the sheet that we use to put money on the client assistance card (it's like a debit card) while I played blocks with the two year old.
As far as fires go, this one was not too bad. The electrical fire was under the mobile home and everyone (including the dog) got out safety after hearing the smoke detector. The fire department got there before much of anything in the mobile home was damaged. The clients lost very little. (The cat did run away when the firefighters came, but I'm sure he'll come back) They obviously don't have power now, but in a few days that should be fixed and they will be able to go back in! The client seemed relieved that she was getting a place to stay while things get fixed and that her and her son were safe. Yay for smoke dectectors! (They don't just tell you when your frozen pizza is dripping cheese onto the bottom of the oven!)
Check out the National Fire Protection Association Webpage! They have tons of information about fire safety!
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