By Jane Jerrard
Published Sunday, January 1, 2012
| From the January 2012 Issue of FireRescue
Just about every firefighter has witnessed the heartbreak of a family whose residence has been destroyed or damaged by fire, and wondered what would happen to that family. A few years ago, one Indiana community stopped wondering and started helping, providing free short-term housing, food and assistance through donations and volunteer work.
The ongoing effort is spearheaded by Martin “Skip” Ockomon, a 23-year veteran firefighter with the Anderson (Ind.) Fire Department (AFD). Although Ockomon freely admits that the idea for establishing a local “fire rescue home” was not his originally, he’s responsible for turning the concept into a reality. Following a December 2008 residential fire that claimed the lives of two young children, Anderson and the surrounding communities pitched in to help the grieving parents. Firefighters, police and local groups donated money for the children’s funeral, then raised funds to help the family start a new home. During this activity, Ockomon began planning to set up a permanent fire rescue house, where those left homeless by fire could stay and start to rebuild their lives.
A Group Effort
Ockomon and his brother Kris—the then-mayor of Anderson—searched for a home that could be transformed into a fire rescue house. While looking at properties being sold for back taxes, they discovered a former fire station built in 1904 that had been turned into a residence.
Then, during efforts to help the bereaved family, Ockomon met Indiana Colts Center Jeff Saturday, whose $5,000 donation paid for the old station and two adjacent lots. In April 2009, a fundraising and media awareness day was planned around signing the contract for the property. On that day, Ockomon received more than $9,000 in donations—along with an offer from the Ready Corporation of Virginia to donate a prefabricated home worth $60,000.
Ockomon is quick to point out the group effort that was made. “It wasn’t just me—there were a lot of us,” he says. “All the fire chiefs in the county, and all the mayors, too, helped out so much.” Firefighters and other volunteers pitched in to unload the new house on the empty lot next to the 1904 station, winterize it and prepare it for occupancy. And on Sept. 29, 2009, the Madison County Fire Rescue House officially opened.
The former station house is used to store donated furniture and household goods for fire victims, but plans are in the works to turn it into a county fire museum, with office space for the fire rescue house charitable organization.
A Second Home
The group effort and funds that went into creating the first fire rescue house carried over when volunteers discovered how much use the home was getting. “I thought we’d only need one house for the county, and that we’d use it a couple of times a year,” Ockomon recalls. “Well, we had 24 families come in over two years—and that’s just in Anderson.”
A second fire rescue house in neighboring Alexandria was donated in 2010, after the owner, Eric Caldwell, was killed in an automobile accident. That house is known as the Caldwell Fire Rescue House.
“Anyone in the county can stay in either home for free,” Ockomon explains. “It’s a two-week stay, and we feed the family for free and give them what they need to get back on their feet.”
When a family moves into one of the houses, volunteer coordinators provide them with clothes, linens, toiletries, cooking supplies, vouchers for food and other necessities. When necessary, they also work with local real estate agents to help find a new home.
Fundraising & Recognition
As the need for work and funds to support these houses grew, Ockomon formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called the Madison County Firefighters Foundation. Each fire rescue house has its own director, and Ockomon oversees the entire operation.
Fundraising efforts are ongoing and continue to be successful. The AFD hosted a successful fundraiser, selling sports merchandise autographed by Jeff Saturday. More than 100 local businesses, including a casino, have donated cash, food or home goods for victims, and the widow of a retired Anderson firefighter donated $10,000. Ockomon is most touched by the smaller donations that come from previous fire victims and children.
In spring 2011, Ockomon was recognized for his good works when he received a National Firemark Award from Liberty Mutual. This award is presented annually to U.S. firefighters who best represent their communities through valor and who best demonstrate a selfless spirit. Award winners are selected by a committee, and each recipient’s department receives $10,000 that they can choose how to spend. Ockomon says that $8,000 of his award went to the fire rescue houses and $2,000 to the fire museum initiative.
Lessons Learned
Today, there are fire rescue houses in Indianapolis and Peru, Ind., and Metcalf, Ky.; others will be opening soon in Indianapolis and Nacogdoches, Texas.
Asked what advice he would share with a department considering a fire rescue house project, Ockomon recommends getting buy-in from local charities, businesses and other organizations. “If it’s not a community effort, it won’t work.” He also admits, “I had to backtrack to do the 501(c)(3), the insurance and everything. I just wanted to dive in and get a house—but I’d suggest to others to do the red tape and the research first.”
For more information, or to contact Ockomon and the board of directors for advice on setting up a fire rescue house for your community, visit www.firerescuehouse.org. “We’ll share what we’ve got,” Ockomon says. “But if you’re starting this yourself, it’s got to fit your communit
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Jane Jerrard
Jane Jerrard lives in Chicago and writes regularly for FireRescue magazine. Read Full Bio
