Every firefighter remembers the first time they entered sheer darkness, felt the extreme heat, and became a part of a brotherhood of a select few. From the color of the house to the feeling of walking into the unknown to the accomplishment of opening the bail and putting the fire out, it’s a situation that has been inscribed in our brains forever. But what happens long after the smoke is gone?
An oath to serve
Originating from different parts of the country, as children we—the members of Fighting More Than Fire—had one thing in common: a deep desire to help others.
All four of us came to the fire service at different times in our lives. Lt. Michael S. Anderson and I grew up watching our fathers leave for work at the fire station each day. Going to the office with dad was a special experience; some could say we had firefighting bread into us since birth.
Firefighter William C. Mack, aka Chris, the son of a Washington, DC, police officer, entered the U.S. Army after high school, and after serving, found himself in the police academy before he recognized his true calling as a firefighter. Being the son of a public servant, it was obvious to Chris as a young man the path he would follow.
As a young boy, Lt. Shaun T. Whiteley was that kid pedaling his bike as fast as he could to tail the responding neighborhood fire truck as it sped through the streets. Watching the firefighters go to work, it was obvious to him where his life would lead. Volunteering from a young age, Shaun made the decision to no longer follow the fire trucks but instead join the ranks and begin his fire service career.
Fast-forward 30 years, and you can now find each of us in different firehouses in the City of Richmond, VA.
As firefighters, we take an oath to protect our community and to serve our citizens no matter what the cause. This oath calls on firefighters to serve unselfishly, demands courage to perform the job's duties, and above all to demonstrate the concern for others. To experience fulfilling this obligation is truly unexplainable. The brotherhood, the unstoppable love and support from the community, and best of all the ability to walk into a burning building with a chance to save someone’s life.
As most people know, many firefighters spend some off their off-duty time working part-time jobs. Some enter trades, some work in other departments, while some continue their previous professions. We were no different. While simultaneously serving for the fire department, Chris worked as a contractor; Shaun paired himself up with an older lieutenant who had a painting business; Mike, who loves the camera, served as a medic on movie sets in his spare time; and I worked in sales. Although our part-time work varied greatly, there was one thing we all had in common: It was not satisfying to us.
Most people do not get to see the emotional impact and stress a house fire has on a family, especially those who are uninsured. As firefighters, we see these families during one of the worst moments of their lives. What we don’t realize is that this time is only a small fraction of the time spent dealing with and suffering from the devastating effects of a fire.
An idea is born
As with many great ideas, the idea for Fighting More Than Fire came during a dark moment. After fighting a “good fire,” I found myself in the front yard smiling ear to ear, talking with my fellow firefighters about what we had just done. A feeling of happiness and satisfaction overwhelmed me as I recounted the events. “This is what we train for. This is what we do,” I thought to myself.
But this feeling was short-lived, because just across the street, I watched as the family, with no more than the clothes on their backs, looked past me at the burned-out shell that was once their home. The flames I had extinguished were in fact the memories and the life that this family had taken years to build. What took a lifetime to create was gone in just 22 minutes. The worst part came when a fellow firefighter passed by, informing me that this family, this group of citizens I had sworn to protect, did not have insurance. Looking back to the house, I thought to myself, what do they do now?
In 2012, Fighting More Than Fire was formed to help answer that question. Supported by off-duty local firefighters, Fighting More Than Fire is a nonprofit that was established to go above and beyond, by supporting families long after the flames are gone and the trucks have left. We inspire to bring dreams to reality by uniting the community and firefighters to rebuild a home when devastation occurs. To take someone at the worst time in their life and be able to rebuild, inspire hope, and give them a new beginning is what it’s all about.
Making a difference
By raising money through charity events and public donation, Fighting More Than Fire was able to take on our first project. We partnered with local contractors as well as the firefighters from surrounding counties to rebuild a home that had suffered major damage in a fire and had to be demolished down to the studs (raw structural materials).
After a complete rebuild of everything from the interior to the roof, the family was able to move back into their home at no cost. The house was completed with 100 percent donations by volunteers from all over the area, from contractors to firefighters and their families.
This home had suffered a kitchen fire that destroyed a large portion of the house, displacing a mother and father along with their three children. Mike, Chris, Shaun and I made a promise that this family would be back in their home before Christmas, and in order to do so, we enlisted the help of the dad, John. Aside from working a full-time job at night and a part-time job during the day, John worked side by side with us to make sure his family was home together for the holidays. But two weeks before Christmas, we decided to ban John and his family from the house—for a special surprise.
Our initial plan was to rebuild the kitchen, and the family would work over time to take care of the rest, but that plan changed. After spending a few weeks in the house with the family, we knew that more had to be done, and the decision was unanimous: We would enlist the help of as many firefighters as possible, work through the nights, and we would rebuild the entire house. We exposed old brick chimneys, hidden behind walls in the kitchen. We replaced windows, HVAC units and damaged electrical throughout the house; the bathrooms were remodeled; and original hardwood floors found under old carpet were refinished.
Through an incredible show of support, we were able to gather donations and fully furnish the house along with a new Christmas tree donated by The Home Depot, complete with decorations, which Santa visited early to place presents under for the family. We even had an interior designer from Arizona with ties to Richmond who helped to acquire donations, then work via FaceTime to design the house. We received donations from all over the country to help, as John says, “make this house a home.”
One week before Christmas, we were able to keep our promise and turn the house back over to the family. To their surprise, the family of five came home to a move-in-ready home. The work was done, the house was ready, and we had the honor of watching this family begin their life over again. This truly was an opportunity to see the story of a fire come full circle.
Worth the work
As firefighters, we spend a large amount of time away from our families. We miss birthdays and holidays, sports and weekends. We often wonder if the things we miss have an impact on others who can account for the absence. Fighting More Than Fire answers that question for us. To put this into perspective, during the home-reveal event on our third project, John told us that, to him, we were not just firefighters, we were his family now, and that made it all worth it.
