Story told by Saskia Lindsay

In 2023, Red Cross of South Carolina Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers responded to more than 1,700 disasters across the state, assisting nearly 5,000 South Carolinians. Most of those disasters were home fires. The Red Cross of South Carolina responds to an average of six home fires every day, and Red Cross DAT responders are often the first on the ground to assist people by providing blankets, snacks, water, financial assistance, mental health counseling, and other much-needed resources.  

“We really are the first human beings that give people any kind of direction after a disaster – which really is powerful,” said Greg Mundy, a DAT responder in Columbia, South Carolina. “Most people don’t suffer disasters throughout their lives, so when it does happen, they feel so helpless. They don’t have a clue what to do. They are looking for a roadmap of something – they don’t know what it is. The Red Cross comes in and shows them compassion and empathy, and at the same time, gives them some direction.” 

Greg was a firefighter for 45 years. After retiring, he wanted to continue to give back to the community. Along with being a DAT Manager in the Red Cross Central Chapter, Greg trains new DAT volunteers. 

“The fire service works very closely with the Red Cross, so I saw what the Red Cross did through that,” said Greg. “When I got out of the fire service, something that I really missed was being a part of a team. I applied to become a DAT responder with the Red Cross and was fortunate enough to get the opportunity and start the training. I jumped in with both feet and loved it.” 

One night, Greg responded to a DAT call and found a family who had been standing outside in the cold for hours after their home burned down. 

“The heater in their car didn’t work, so they had no way to stay warm until we got there,” said Greg. “I immediately put them in my car with the heater on so they could get warmed up. The people we serve, the people I get to work with, everything about it is exactly what I was looking for. The best tool you have as a DAT responder is your heart. The other stuff – we can teach you.” 

Ashley Baxter of Summerville, South Carolina, has been a DAT responder with the Red Cross for two years.  

“I get a call saying that there has been a fire at a location, I accept the assignment if I can, then me and another person – we always work in teams of two – we head out to the fire and hand out blankets, toiletries, sometimes we hand out stuffed animals if there are children involved,” explained Ashley. “Some people are hugging us and are very, very grateful. After a fire, there are some people who have no support system whatsoever – no family, no friends, no insurance – and those are the people who are really grateful for us coming out.” 

Ashley says working as a DAT responder is flexible and rewarding, and that she has even recruited her mother to become a DAT responder, too.  

“If you want to be a DAT responder, you can put down whatever availability you want,” said Ashley. “If you aren’t comfortable driving at night – that's fine. If you only want to do Saturdays and Sundays during the day – that's fine. The time commitment is whatever you have.” 

Another dedicated DAT responder in the Red Cross Lowcountry Chapter is Bill Schmidt. Bill has been a DAT responder with the Red Cross for 13 years, following his long career in firefighting. Bill says responding to fires is a God-given instinct of his, and he even responded to a fire at his own apartment complex in 2023. 

“I was sitting at home watching TV, and across the scanner came Mary Ader Avenue, and that’s my address. I went out on my porch and smelled smoke, so I got on my shoes and went outside. I saw heavy smoke coming up from the building next to mine,” said Bill. “I started running towards the building and started beating on doors saying, ‘the building is on fire, get out!” 

Bill says the fire department had not yet arrived since the call had just come in, and as he ran up and down the apartment building stairs banging on doors, people were flooding out of their units. 

"The most important thing to me was the lives of the people in the building,” said Bill. “I didn’t see anyone else going in to do it, so I went in myself.” 

Nobody was hurt in the large fire. Soon after, other Red Cross DAT responders arrived and set up aid in the clubhouse, ultimately assisting dozens of people. 

“The people are at a loss, they’re really confused, they don’t know what to do,” said Bill. “We are the first contact, we are the first piece of recovery. We help them to understand that they will recover.” 

Learn more about becoming a Disaster Action Team responder with the Red Cross at www.redcross.org/DAT.