By Tana Kelley, Northwest Region

It was around 11:30 on a Friday night when Bob Helmer arrived near Coulee Dam, trailer in tow.

A wildfire had forced people from their homes, and a Red Cross shelter needed to be opened. With little notice, Helmer answered the call.

There were just two Red Cross volunteers there that first night and four people waiting to come inside.

It was Helmer's first Red Cross shelter assignment.

By the time his week was over, the shelter would serve around 60 people at its peak. Helmer would help with everything from checking in evacuees and serving meals to sorting donations, washing blankets and responding when medical emergencies unfolded.

For Helmer, the reason for doing it all is remarkably simple.

"People need help," he said. "That's what we were there for: to provide them support and help."

A Lifetime of Service

Helmer, of Ellensburg, has been volunteering with the Red Cross for about a year, but helping during emergencies is hardly new territory.

He spent 50 years in forestry and fire, including 42 years in fire suppression. He previously worked as an EMT and even served as a Red Cross first aid instructor in the 1970s and 1980s.

After retiring, Helmer found himself looking for something more to do.

That search brought him back to the Red Cross.

He was recruited through a Mass Care One Day Boot Camp in Yakima last summer and has since qualified in sheltering, logistics, fulfillment and emergency resources and management.

Then came a late-night request for help opening a shelter for people escaping from wildfire.

Helmer didn't hesitate.

Whatever the Shelter Needed

Wildfire evacuations meant accommodations in the area were difficult to find, so Helmer and other volunteers slept on cots in an office area of the school where the shelter was located.

Their days were long. There were people to check in, meals to coordinate and supplies to distribute. Residents needed cots, pillows, blankets and comfort kits. Others needed help addressing immediate needs such as prescriptions and eyeglasses.

For some, the needs went much deeper.

"Some of the people definitely had lost their homes," Helmer said. "They had nothing left."

Many had evacuated without towels, extra clothes or other everyday necessities.

As word spread about what was needed, donations began arriving from community and tribal members. Helmer sorted the supplies, organizing toiletries, towels, laundry soap and other personal care items so they could be distributed to shelter residents.

When things quieted down at night, he did laundry.

He washed towels and blankets. He cleaned cots as people left. He helped with meals and took out garbage. Over the weekend, when janitorial services weren't available, he swept and mopped floors.

There was no single job that defined Helmer's first shelter assignment.

He simply did what needed to be done.

When Experience Mattered Most

Two nights at the shelter brought a different kind of challenge.

One resident experienced a serious panic attack. With his previous EMT experience, Helmer was able to help assess the situation while another volunteer worked to calm and comfort her. Eventually, they called 911, and she was transported to the hospital.

A couple of nights later, Helmer was sorting supplies when another resident walked out of the restroom and suddenly collapsed near the shelter's entrance table.

Helmer immediately went to check on him and called 911.

The man had been walking outside during a period when daytime temperatures were reaching into the 90s and 100s. At the hospital, he was treated for dehydration.

He later returned to the shelter doing well. This time, volunteers kept an extra eye on whether he was drinking enough fluids.

Those moments stood out to the volunteer working alongside Helmer.

"Bob and I had two nights where EMT help was needed," his deployment evaluation read. "He exceeded expectations in helping clients in such a compassionate way."

Less Than a Day Later, Another Call

After a week at the shelter, Helmer finally headed home to Ellensburg.

He was home for less than 24 hours.

He repacked, regrouped and prepared to head back into the disaster response—this time to Colville, where he would serve as an Emergency Operations Center liaison.

It was another new assignment for a volunteer who had joined the Red Cross only about a year earlier.

But Helmer's willingness to serve extends beyond disaster response.

He has participated in local emergency management exercises in a logistics role. He volunteers at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area Visitor Center, where he enjoys teaching visitors from around the world about local herds. He also gives his time at the Ellensburg Farmers Market.

The Volunteer Who Doesn't Ask for Credit

Ask Helmer what he would say to someone thinking about becoming a Red Cross volunteer, and his answer reflects the same practical approach he brings to the work.

"I think it's a very good idea," he said. "If you've got the time and energy, it takes a commitment."

That commitment, he explained, means being willing to train, learn how the Red Cross works and give your time when disaster strikes.

During his time helping those evacuate from wildfire, Helmer showed exactly what that can look like.

It can mean pulling a trailer late at night to help open a shelter.

It can mean sitting with someone during a medical emergency.

It can mean checking people in, sorting toothpaste and towels, washing blankets or mopping a school floor.

And sometimes, it means coming home after a week away, repacking your bags and heading right back out because help is needed somewhere else.

Helmer doesn't seek attention for any of it.

As one Red Cross colleague described him, he's one of those quieter volunteers who "move mountains and ask for 0 credit."

After his first year with the Red Cross and his first shelter assignment, Bob Helmer is already showing what that kind of quiet service can mean.

When people need help, he shows up.