Care, for the “Things You Didn’t Even Think About”

Story & Photos by Justin Kern, American Red Cross

On Friday afternoon, James Fair had initially stopped by the American Red Cross caseworker station set up in a Milwaukee hotel lobby to ask about transportation. He’s in that challenging in-between time, after being displaced by a fire at his apartment building but before he can move into his new place.

Moments later in the lobby, along with talking transportation, Red Crosser Melinda Rosario was putting adhesive bandages on cuts on Fair’s hands, making sure he’d had a chicken Caesar wrap for lunch (he’d eaten it) and checking in that he knew the latest developments on his next apartment.

Melinda Rosario, Red Cross disaster team member, opens an adhesive bandage for James Fair, one of many people still dealing with an apartment building fire on Jan. 28.

“They take care of things you didn’t even think about,” Fair said afterward.

Fair is one of more than 100 people still displaced by a Jan. 28 apartment building fire on Milwaukee’s South Side, a fatal incident and the largest among a slew of high-volume residential fires to kick off 2021 in Wisconsin. In all, the Red Cross has helped 740 people who have been displaced by more than 100 fires since the start of the year, which is on trend with a typical busy winter here, but markedly higher in terms of the number of people affected each day.

Behind those numbers, however, are the unique ways disasters affect each person, from flashpoint to aftermath, with no certain timetable. Fair, a military veteran and a Milwaukee native, had lived in the 106-unit building in the Burnham Park neighborhood since the fall. On Jan. 27, he had dozed off to the nightly news only to be woken up at around 2 a.m. to pounding by a neighbor on his third-floor apartment door. Half wondering if it was a dream, Fair had enough time to grab his cane, put on a robe and grab a hat, to cover his head and face, given the smoke, to say nothing of the pandemic.

“They were yelling that we had to evacuate onto a city bus … at first, I was thinking that I’d be right back up in my place,” Fair said, before stepping back to reflect on the layers of issues that come up with such a fire. “You know that saying, ‘Bigger the headache, bigger the pill’? I feel like there isn’t a pill big enough for what you go through” after a fire.

Even still, Fair said he was very appreciative of the hive of Red Cross activity buzzing around him in the hotel lobby. Sheltering operations on Friday at the hotel – one of two hotel-shelters established over the past two weeks with just this fire – included delivery of 80 lunches by volunteers Kevin Connell and Terry Mackin, and restocking of complimentary masks and gloves by Merrill volunteer Laurel Cooper and Binghamton, N.Y. health services volunteer Jeanne Frey. Behind the scenes, numerous other disaster workforce members organized partners to identify affordable housing possibilities, transported totes for those ready to begin moving and helped residents process the emotional gravity of a fire.

James Fair calls himself a “different type of soldier,” though one grateful for help from the Red Cross after a fire displaced him and the rest of the people in his 106-unit building in Milwaukee.

Rosario, a disaster team member from Harrisburg, Pa., said that Fair and a handful of other military veterans displaced by this Milwaukee fire would be moving into longer-term housing in the coming weeks thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs. Fair called himself “a different type of soldier,” someone up for the challenges that life can hit you with at 2 a.m. on a sub-zero-temperature Milwaukee weekday. At the same time, he recognized that he’s had Red Cross volunteers fighting for him since he arrived from the fire. 

“I’m glad Red Cross is here, these people are here, because … otherwise, I don’t know,” he said.

Your generosity and volunteerism enable the Red Cross to help people like James every single day. We’re grateful for your consideration of joining our mission, through a gift or as a volunteer.

Heroes among us: American Red Cross – Northwest WI Chapter honors local heroes at March 2021 virtual event

EAU CLAIRE, Wis., February 11, 2021 – Our community is filled with everyday heroes. This March, the Northwest Wisconsin Chapter of the American Red Cross will once again honor a select group of the heroes among us.

The annual Heroes Breakfast will take place virtually this year from 8-9 a.m., Wednesday, March 10. The annual event celebrates local people who were involved in selfless acts of courage and kindness during the past year. The award breakfast also serves as a fundraising event for programs and services provided by the Northwest Wisconsin Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Chosen across a handful of categories, honorees at the Heroes Breakfast represent those among us who reflect what is best in our communities. The 2021 Heroes are:

Korey Maves (Dunn County) – award: Adult Good Samaritan

Libby Wiensch (Chippewa County) – award: Youth Good Samaritan

Will Gieger (Chippewa County) –award: Community Heroes

Vivian Swarey (Barron County) – award: From the Heart Hero

Lieske Gieske (Eau Claire County) – award: Healthcare Heroes

Grant Kjellberg (Eau Claire County) – award: Military Hero

Dennis Beale (Eau Claire County) – award: Hero of a Lifetime

Mayo Clinic Health System is the premier sponsor of this very special event. Additional sponsors include Xcel Energy, Marshfield Clinic, WQOW TV-18, Kaze Studios, Bauer Built Inc., Royal Credit Union, Ayres Associates, Security Financial Bank, Global Finishing Solutions, Westconsin Credit Union, Ayres Associates, Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, M3 Insurance, Mosaic Telecom, BMO Harris, Associated Bank, and Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company.

To reserve your seat for this virtual event, https://NWHeroes.givesmart.com or call (715) 271-8395. Reservations for this virtual event are $10 and all proceeds go toward the Northwest Wisconsin Chapter of the American Red Cross.

519 people affected by spate of January home fires

During busy winter season, Red Cross shares preparedness reminders and resources

By Justin Kern, American Red Cross

Winter has brought a sustained escalation of home fires in Wisconsin and the U.P. of Michigan, with more than 500 people displaced in January alone, including at large apartment fires in Beaver Dam, Menasha and Milwaukee.

An apartment building in Milwaukee affected by a tragic fire in January 2021.

The American Red Cross has assisted approximately 519 people at 68 fires, which registers as more than two-per day and ranks on par with some of the busier months in recent years. That includes a fatal fire at a 106-unit building in the Burnham Park neighborhood in Milwaukee, one of the largest residential fires we’ve assisted with in recent years, as well as other apartment fires in Menasha (43 people), Beaver Dam (35 people) and elsewhere in Milwaukee (17 people). Separately, Racine has suffered four, single-family home fires in January, affecting 19 people, and Iron Mountain, Mich. has had two single-family home fires, affecting 10 people.

“While we prepare for an unfortunate rise in fires each winter, our teams have helped people through a particularly dense number of larger incidents, such as the three big apartment fires alone on January 28^th,” said Mark Thomas, Regional CEO and Southeast Executive Director, American Red Cross. “With these incidents still looming large, we’re encouraging people to take a moment and review their preparedness plans with their families, as well as to consider ways to join our mission.”

Examples of relief support by Red Cross disaster teams at these fires includes aid for temporary lodging at a local hotel, meals, and access to health and mental health resources. Volunteers and staff also work with residents on recovery plans to move forward during the protracted aspects of a home fire, like identifying longer term housing. This work is amplified by partners in service at communities across our Region.

The winter season typically brings an increase in residential fires, though our teams have been involved in a higher than usual number of large-scale fires going back to the start of the pandemic. Since March 2020, Red Cross disaster volunteers and staff have been committed to internal and CDC protocols to ensure health and safety measures for everyone involved in our mission.

Home fire safety tips & resources

American Red Cross disaster volunteers Denise Bruneau, left, and Ranjit Verma collect more than 100 chicken wrap meals from our partner Alverno College for distribution to people at temporary sheltering after home fires.

The Red Cross is asking everyone to take simple steps to reduce the risk of a fire in your home and to help save lives:

• Make sure everyone in the family knows how to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in two minutes or less.
• Test the smoke alarms in your home and replace deficient batteries or alarms. Teach children the sound of a smoke alarm when you practice your home fire escape plan.
• Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as a neighbor’s home or a tree in the front yard, so everyone knows where to meet.
• Bring home fire and disaster safety lessons into your school or organization. Click here to sign up for these free virtual preparedness courses.
• For additional free resources and safety tips, visit redcross.org/homefires.  

You can support this ongoing mission for our neighbors in need by joining as a volunteer or by making a donation at redcross.org.