RICHLAND COUNTY, Ohio — When multiple fire departments came to the scene of a house explosion Friday on Hook Road in Springfield Township, a critical team of volunteers from the East Central Ohio Chapter of the American Red Cross was present.
A house exploded in Richland County that left one dead and two injured.
RELATED: 1 dead, 2 injured in Crestline house explosion
The Disaster Action Team helps take care of not only the first responders who need water and food but also any uninjured people who may be at the scene.
Rick Pauley, a supervisor and longtime volunteer for the Disaster Action Team in Richland County, says he found a new sense of purpose with the Red Cross after he retired.
“Actually, transporting blood, and then got into the disaster response like we do here. And the more I got into it, the more I realized how valuable it was to the community," Pauley said.
However, the volunteer ranks are becoming thinner these days, and the American Red Cross says the need is great.
Rod Cook, the Executive Director of the East Central Chapter of the American Red Cross, said while the house explosion in Springfield Township event is not the best example of the Disaster Action Team's full scope of services, they were still able to help the firefighters who had to deal with hot temperatures all afternoon.
"Let's say that there were some survivors that weren't injured...our DAT team would have been the ones to be taking care of them," said Cook. "They make sure they have a safe place to go, they have food, clothing, whatever they may need and if we didn't show up, those folks may be still on the street today."
Cook told News 5 that Richland County is in good shape and has seen an increase in volunteers in recent years.
"But right next door in Crawford County it is a different story," Cook explained. "So it really varies county by county and he added that it's not just about numbers."
Cook says it's imperative to have volunteers who are from the counties and communities they serve because they know the area. In contrast, if they pull from other counties, people may be unfamiliar with the layout of the land.
“But let's say that a huge disaster, a catastrophe happens, if we don't have enough folks locally in Richland County —lets say where our system works— we will start bringing in folks from other counties, first contiguous, and then start working out. However, it's always better to have neighbors helping their fellow neighbors," Cook said.
Cook adds that the American Red Cross is not alone.
“This is across the board, with lots of different organizations, nonprofits, civic organizations, etc, that volunteerism seems to be straining right now, and then COVID came along, and that really put a dent in our ability to recruit new volunteers," Cook said.
The Red Cross has been trying to recruit younger folks by creating Red Cross Clubs in local high schools and colleges. They are also adding more technology components geared to attract younger tech-savvy people.
For Pauley, the Red Cross has more opportunities than working blood drives.
"I think there's so many things the Red Cross does for people that people aren't aware of. I wasn't aware of until I got involved." said Pauley. "It makes you feel good about what you're doing."
If you would like to volunteer, you can sign up by CLICK HERE.
