A Training Support Center (TSC) staff member dedicates his off-time to helping those who are in need of immediate assistance.

Command investigator, Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Eickholt, volunteers as a responder for the American Red Cross' Disaster Action Team (DAT) providing access to food, water, shelter, financial, and other relief assistance to victims of fires, floods, tornadoes, and other natural disasters.

"I was researching volunteer opportunities that would provide me a hands-on opportunity to make a difference within the community," he said. "Being a first responder myself, I felt being part of a team that would be out in the field helping people was a perfect match."

Working in teams of two, DAT members choose to be on call after work. Generally they are within one hour of any location they may be called out to, with a goal or arriving in 90 minutes following a call for assistance.

"We need to get there as quickly as possible to provide the best care to the families," Eickholt said. "Anytime someone needs shelter, food, and water, we go out and try our best to find the resources. Typically we are there to assist families in finding a place to sleep for the night, and we provide information on resources in the community. If long term assistance is needed, we get in contact with case workers to take it beyond the initial call -- sometimes for months assisting."

An instance Eickholt recalls was in Round Lake, Illinois. He arrived at a house fire where a woman and her children escaped just with the clothes on their backs. The thing which sticks out in his mind more than working with the mother was the children who did not know what was going to happen next.

That was the case in South Holland, Illinois, in July where he responded to flooding which affected numerous homes. Wearing a red reflective vest was all he needed to cause people to search him out once the word spread out across the neighborhood the DAT was present to help.

"It tears me up when kids are involved," Eickholt said. "It is emotionally hard working with adults who have a sense of what needs to happen next, but the kids are too young to grasp what is even going on."

Over the past year, Eikhort volunteered nearly 900 hours accomplishing tasks such as responding to a flood, assessing 35 houses as part of the Damage Assessment Team; attended to approximately 20 house fires assisting over 120 Chicagoland residents; and became qualified to assist in the operation of mass shelters and feeding functions.

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