Firefighters' group aids those displaced by blazes

From top, Elmore Newbury opens Christmas gifts from Operation Fire H.E.A.T. volunteers. A Dec. 10 fire damaged his home. Operation Fire H.E.A.T. volunteers deliver gifts to the Ramiscal family on Christmas Eve. Elmore holds a fire hose during an Operation Fire H.E.A.T. gift drop-off event.Photos special to View From top, Elmore Newbury opens Christmas gifts from Operation Fire H.E.A.T. volunteers. A Dec. 10 fire damaged his home. Operation Fire H.E.A.T. volunteers deliver gifts to the Ramiscal family on Christmas Eve. Elmore holds a fire hose during an Operation Fire H.E.A.T. gift drop-off event.Photos special to View Advertisement

Losing your home to a fire can be difficult any time of year, but around the holidays the impact can be devastating. A local group started by fire department dispatchers valleywide works to help families with children celebrate the holidays despite homes lost to fire. The group calls itself Operation Fire Holiday Emergency Assistance Team, or Operation Fire H.E.A.T. for short.

"They were awesome," said Jennifer Ramiscal, a mother of three who recently lost her home to a fire. "They really stepped up to the plate."

The fire that destroyed Ramiscal's home near the corner of Flamingo and Sandhill Roads left her temporarily homeless along with her 19-year-old son, mother and brother and her two daughters, who attend Chaparral High School. The family also lost four cats and a dog. Friends managed to find them a home to stay in temporarily, but the family lost everything, including all of the kids' Christmas presents. Ramiscal said members of Operation Fire H.E.A.T. met with her within a day or two of the fire.

"They took us shopping," Ramiscal said. "The kids were able to get new backpacks and school supplies, and I got a couple of outfits for work."

That was just the start. A few days later, a group of firefighters came by with Christmas presents, decorations and a tree.

"A couple of days before Christmas, they brought us a fully cooked Christmas dinner," Ramiscal said. "That was delicious. It was hugely appreciated because we weren't even in a place where we could think about cooking a meal like that. We didn't even have cooking supplies."

Fred Wechselberger, president of Operation Fire H.E.A.T., said the organization started simply, with nine dispatchers who put away $5 each pay period and collected about $1,000 the first year. The next year the ranks swelled to 25 when other people were inspired by their actions and hopped on board.

Halfway through that second year the group began becoming a nonprofit charitable organization so members could conduct other forms of fundraising. Operation Fire H.E.A.T. officially became a 501(c)(3) charity group just less than a year ago. The cause has spread among fire department employees from Clark County, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and more.

Last year the group helped six families. Some lost homes just before Christmas, and some right after.

"When we started, we were specifically targeting children during the holidays who lose everything," Wechselberger said. "Our fundraising went so well this year, we may expand our criteria in 2011."

Although the group's initial fundraising efforts were small affairs at restaurants, members soon expanded efforts and partnered with other charities to organize a raffle. They raised approximately $5,000 last year.

The Ramiscals have begun putting the pieces back together. They've begun the search for a new home. They declined the offer of new pets; they say it's too soon for that.

"Everything was different this holiday season," Ramiscal said. "We weren't in our own home. We didn't have our decorations, but H.E.A.T. really made all the difference. I can't say enough good things about them. They tried to think of everything. They brought back the holiday spirit to us, which is important, especially for the kids."

For more information about Operation Fire H.E.A.T., visit operationfireheat.org.

Contact Sunrise and Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.