The Fairfield apartment fire destroyed 11 units and displaced 18 residents, Fairfield fire officials said. The 47 firefighters from the nine departments who responded to the three-alarm fire were assisted by the Red Cross and residents were provided lodging.
After the Middletown fire on Park Lane, the Red Cross provided nine rooms for 17 residents in a Middletown hotel, Salkowski said.
Red Cross volunteers also provided food and water to the 50 to 60 firefighters from the seven departments in Butler and Warren counties, she said. Middletown fire officials said Atrium Medical Center also provided food and water.
Michael Beloff, 24, his girlfriend, Tabitha Street, 23, and her 4-year-old daughter lived in the apartment where the fire may have started, she said. While the couple lost all their possessions, Street, a server at the Applebee’s in Hamilton, said she was “thankful” to the Red Cross for its lodging assistance.
“Not sure where we’d be without it,” Street, seven months pregnant, said from her hotel room.
The Red Cross is notified of a home fire either by the resident, the fire department or other emergency response entities, Salkowski said. Also, she said, the Red Cross typically provides health and mental services and assistance with other social services agencies for those impacted by the fire.
She said the Red Cross casework system is flexible and can be mobilized to help a single family after a home fire or to help hundreds of families after a flood. The “first priority,” she said, is to provide a safe place to stay, food and basic living assistance.
When there are larger groups needing assistance, like last year’s tornadoes that devastated parts of Dayton, the Red Cross can open a shelter, or in the coronavirus atmosphere, provide hotel rooms, she said.
The Red Cross also facilitates emergency welfare inquiries for individuals with medical or other issues, when requested by other Red Cross workers or family members. During the Dayton tornadoes the Red Cross completed 33 checks on individuals, Salkowski. She said the home where one woman lived on Main Street was out of power and her family that lives in Canada was unable to reach her. A Red Cross volunteer went to the woman’s home and connected her with her relatives, Salkowski said.
The Butler County Emergency Management Agency works closely with the Red Cross, which was founded by Clara Barton on May 21, 1881, said Matt Haverkos, executive director. He called the Red Cross “a big piece” of the emergency services provided in the county.
He said the Red Cross that serves the region is “very strong” and is driven by volunteers who provide a wide variety of services to those impacted by a disaster.
“It’s a way for volunteers to give back,” he said. “The dedication of the volunteers is incredible.”
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