Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services: Delivering hope in a crisis

When disaster strikes, the need is great. The Salvation Army has been operating its Emergency Disaster Services for over 100 years, to provide support to first responders and those affected.

In the event of a natural disaster, fire or other catastrophe, our trained personnel are mobilized throughout the region, to provide support to first responders and victims. Those disasters can be large scale operations involving specialized vehicles and teams of personnel, like the Perth-Andover, N.B., flooding of 2013, when over 200 people were fed and hundreds more received spiritual and emotional counselling. Or they can be on a much smaller scale, one person supporting first responders at a structure fire.

Recently, our Emergency Disaster Services have been busy in the New Brunswick border town of Woodstock. In a span of eight days, local Corps Officer Major Laverne Fudge was called out to support the fire department at four separate structure fires.

In each case, the story is similar: Major Fudge arriving at the scene with coffee and food for the first responders and the affected residents. On one of the days the temperature outside was –27 C, without wind chill, making the warm food and drink a welcome sight. He then provides counselling for anyone in need of a friendly ear or comforting words, including fire fighters battling the blaze, or the owners watching their building go up in smoke.

“For the owners, it was a chance to provide some emotional and spiritual care, if needed, and for the firefighters, to be there to provide moral support, and physical support through food and drink, is a good thing to do,” says Major Fudge.

“When we arrive they’re very welcoming for what we can do. It seems like it’s a relief for them.”

For Major Fudge, any opportunity to support those in the community he serves is one he wants to take.

“Hands-on ministry is second to none, I believe. It allows people to see our beliefs in action. They can witness that we want to help, and we want to impact the community in some way. Even through a negative event like a fire, we want to try to impact the situation in a positive way.”