Fire Chiefs Council of Suffolk County, recent articles of interest to Fire Chiefs. Items for FEMA Trailers Dear Chris, I am trying to get donations of household items for the Pearlington, Mississippi volunteer fire department, the West Hancock Fire Rescue. Their website is: westhancockfirerescue.org. Their community and firehouse was decimated by Hurricane Katrina. Specifically, I am asking groups to adopt just one FEMA trailer and to ask its members to bring in household items to fill a box for their trailer. FEMA just sent the firemen trailers this past week, after weeks of my calling their Senators and Congressman in Washington, DC. They had been forgotten. They have been sleeping in their cars or in tents for the past eleven weeks. Fortunately, they have been given pillows and linens by a church group that set up a tent in their town. But, they do not have the ordinary, everyday things we take for granted. Kitchen goods like pots and pans, cooking and eating utensils, china, an alarm clock, maybe a radio, an iron for their clothes, a hair dryer. The basic necessities of life as we know it in America. They lost everything they owned to Katrina's storm surge. Surviving stores along the gulf coast simply don't have these goods either, their shelves are bare. Even for people who can afford to completely re-stock their temporary housing, which these volunteers can not, they are not available. When things do come in, they go out immediately. FEMA trailers come with beds, a small stove and oven and a microwave. Nothing more. Everything else has to be found, somehow. If anyone might be interested in helping these volunteers get their lives back to some semblance of normality, transportation is available - although the time period to get boxes on it is short. I just ask that all donations be either new or in excellent shape - good enough to give to a family member. If used, that all china and eating utensil sets be complete and undamaged and other items be in "like new" condition. Sadly, some people have given their yard sale leftovers rather than true gifts of help. A tractor-trailer will be leaving Sag Harbor on Monday Dec. 5th going first to Biloxi, then on to Pearlington. It will be parked for one week, starting Monday November 28th, on the east side of the Sag Harbor Turnpike at the Gingerbread Bakeshop. Donations can brought to it, boxed and clearly labeled "Pearlington". If that is not possible, I may be able to pick up any boxes and get them to the trailer. There will be another possibility for transportation, probably the second week in December. An ambulance, a Chief's car and a Fire Truck have been donated to Pearlington. The exact date they are leaving is uncertain. However, boxes could be put into these vehicles when they do depart. A chief's car has already been donated and sent down, as was a Pumper truck. The pumper was driven down last week by the Chief's of the donor fire department who reported that the devastation there was beyond belief. The volunteers of the West Hancock Fire Rescue had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. They were able to sleep in beds for the first time in almost three months. I am hoping that, by sending them needed household goods, we can help them get settled into their FEMA trailers so that they can begin to focus on getting their lives back together again. They have been answering fire and emergency calls all along, they understand the true meaning of dedication to their community. I was asked to help this group and their town by Rev. Melvin Gibson, an Episcopal clergyman in the neighboring, but much larger town of Slidell, Louisiana, to whom I had sent a tractor trailer load of supplies shortly after Katrina. I speak with him still and he assures me that their needs are enormous. Whatever we could do for these volunteers would be much appreciated, especially with the holiday season approaching. I would be happy to try to answer any questions. Ceal Havemeyer 631-537-0119 Please use common sense, space is limited in FEMA trailers. A suggested list might include the following, some were specially requested and are marked as such. Many of us have extras of these things in our homes that are in perfect shape that we could donate: dishes set for four, six or eight, (requested) - dinner plates, - cereal/soup bowls - mugs or cups and saucers - a small platter or some vegetable serving dishes would be good glasses for drinking - matching sets please (requested) sets of eating utensils - forks, knives and spoons for 4, 6 or 8 people (requested) frying pan 10" or 12" with lid, good quality (requested) pasta pot with lid 2 and 3 qt pots with lids strainer / collander spatula / hamburger turners Teflon cooking utensils (requested) long cooking spoons long cooking fork wooden spoon set kitchen knives for cutting and chopping (requested) cutting board dish drainer and dish tray (requested, apparently there are none in a three stare area) measuring cups and spoons potato peeler can opener - manual roasting pan bakeware - lasagna pan, cake pans (requested) casserole dishes (requested) mixing bowl (s) pot holders kitchen towels cookie sheets ( requested - holiday baking coming up) pie pan pizza pan ( requested - some of the single firemen live on pizza ) sugar bowl and creamer tea kettle storage containers - sugar, flour, coffee toaster coffee pot crock pot ( requested ) electric mixer - hand held electric can opener ( might be nice) radio alarm clock radio TV ( they would love one with a VCR for the fire house's office trailer to play training tapes) Iron and ironing board scissors, stapler and scotch tape - might be nice toilet brushes ( requested) bucket, mop and broom (requested) whisk broom and pan sponges rubber gloves Hair dryer for their wives <-- Back Fire Chiefs' Council of Suffolk County N.Y. 35 Gores Drive Mastic, NY 11950-2007 execbd@suffolkfirechiefs.com Site by Hamptons Online