By Chris Allen, American Red Cross

Becca Bohrer escaped with nothing but her dog Barley as fire roared through her apartment building in Maplewood, MO, February 25th, 2024. The fire started somewhere in the building’s basement about 11 a.m. and spread throughout, forcing everyone to evacuate into the relatively mild February day. Then American Red Cross volunteers arrived to help.

“I had no idea the Red Cross did this sort of thing” she said. “I didn’t really know what the Red Cross did. Natural disasters and things like that, but not much else.”

Becca received assistance with living arrangements, a nurse helped her get replacements for her medications, and mental health workers reached out. “I was grateful,” she said. “Some of my neighbors had kids and they all got build-a-bear teddy bears.”

Although the building is still standing, it is condemned, and Becca has had to relocate. She and Barley still live in Maplewood. Impressed by the Red Cross workers she decided to volunteer herself. “My degree is in social work, so I’m a helping person by nature,” she said. “I thought it would be cool to give back in a way that I had been helped.” Becca began volunteering in early November 2024 and has been responding to fires in her area in suburban St. Louis. The fire, she said, was one of the most stressful things she had ever experienced. “Having a fire is very stressful and very hard,” she said. “I was lucky to have additional support but I’m also able to recognize not everyone has that. So, I just wanted to be able to help people who may not have access to the resources I had access to.”

Last November, Becca responded to her biggest call yet. A fire had displaced a mother with her college-age son and two teenage daughters. “The first thing we did was let them know the Red Cross is here,” she said. “The mom had no idea the Red Cross did this, either. “They were overwhelmed and we let them know what assistance we could offer.” Since Becca had been through a similar situation less than a year before, she was especially empathetic. And Becca, who is a huge Taylor Swift fan, was able to talk to the two daughters about their favorite singer. After her own apartment fire, once she was allowed back in to retrieve her belongings, Becca says she went straight for her Taylor Swift sweatshirts, T-shirts and concert souvenirs. “Luckily my friend who was with me went for my essentials,” she laughed. She was able to share her story with the girls. She realizes not a lot of younger people volunteer for the Red Cross and she is happy she can help relate those younger people affected by disaster.

“I think the best part is that most people don’t know the Red Cross does this. It’s nice to see the relief that people have when we tell them what we can offer.”

If you would like become a Disaster Action Team volunteer, like Becca, please visit redcross.org/volunteer.