New Sharon Fire Continues Legacy Of Helping Others

Steve Gerard loads a wheelbarrow with debris in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Marshalltown, Iowa – The sounds of chainsaws, backup beepers, and dump trucks could be heard around the Marshalltown community on Saturday morning. It was just days after an EF-3 tornado ripped a path through the heart of the community.

New Sharon Fire and Rescue has a legacy of being there to help communities recover from a natural disaster.

Their legacy began over a decade ago, when they traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. They spent nearly a month helping that community recover.

Since that first trip, the group has worked in places like Joplin, Missouri, Rockport, Texas, New York, New York, Parkersburg, Iowa, and Independence, Louisiana.

Along the way, different members of the fire department travel, oftentimes dependent upon vacation time available to them, or family commitments.

On July 19th, 2018, tornadoes struck Pella and Marshalltown. New Sharon Fire and Rescue had a crew at Vermeer, assisting the day of the tornado.

Saturday in Marshalltown, Steve Gerard, captain, and a crew from New Sharon Fire went into residential neighborhoods where they found extensive tree damage, along with several destroyed homes.

They got to work on their first assignment, a home that had gotten some damage when a large portion of a nearby tree had fallen. With chainsaw in hand, the volunteers and homeowners removed the large amount of debris in approximately an hour.

New Sharon Fire volunteers worked to clean up debris in front of the Marshalltown Salvation Army just days after an EF-3 tornado struck.

The team learned that just down the road, the Marshalltown Salvation Army location was in need of help. Their structure withstood the EF-3 tornado with little damage, but there was debris littering the property.

Downed trees, and the roofs from nearby businesses littered the property.

Once again, the chainsaw was the tool of choice, as the downed trees were quickly cut up, and placed on the curb by a skid-steer.

The last remaining task was to tackle the roofing debris that had been deposited in a corner of the building and property. Large portions of roofs lay mixed with other nearby debris. The pile was approaching 10-foot high in places.

By now, others had joined the team from New Sharon, all eager to help give back in some way. The group ranged in age from those in their 60’s to those still in elementary school.

Insulation was packed tightly among the debris, and went airborne once freed, often times landing on exposed skin, making the battle all the more miserable.

Eventually, the massive pile of debris had been moved to the curb, often one shovel load at a time.

There was time to help one more family, and the team of many volunteers now moved on to removing debris from another home in Marshalltown, before eventually loading their gear back on the trailer, and driving back home.

During that decade of helping, volunteers have come and gone. Gerard explained that “some of the new people coming on board, I think, realized on this last trip, and it being their first one, that there is a lot of hugs, a lot of tears involved with trying to help people, because they have lost everything that they’ve worked for, for a long time. You’re there to do as much as you can for some moral support.”

Many residential areas in Marshalltown took heavy damage as the result of an EF-3 tornado on July 19, 2018.

The idea of helping others, especially assisting first responders, of whom have had their own homes impacted by natural disaster, took root as Gerard watched Katrina slam into the United States.

With that first trip to Biloxi, Mississippi in the wake of Katrina, a partnership was formed and now the two departments often travel together to large natural disasters.

“Nobody would have guessed we’d still be doing this 13 years after the first trip,” said Gerard. “You realize that there was a need and you realize that there was a lot of people that were in trouble, and it doesn’t make any difference whether it’s in Mississippi or it’s in Marshalltown. It’s kind of nice to be able to help people because, if it was ourselves, we know trying to get back on your feet after Mother Nature terrorizes your home, your belongings, your vehicle, whatever it is, that you need all the help you can to get back on your feet.”

The work is a bit of paying it forward, something Biloxi has been doing since Katrina. The community received a lot of outside help and is now paying it forward to other communities. For New Sharon, they hope they never need the help, but are confident that others would be there to help.

As time passes, and the volunteers come and go, the mission of helping others and their communities recover from natural disasters becomes more entrenched with the departments.

The community of New Sharon has been greatly supportive of their department. “The citizens of New Sharon have been very instrumental. New Sharon has done the majority of it, but other communities, other fire departments have stepped up and helped us too,” said Gerard of the support they have received.

One of the largest fundraisers for the department to continue their work is the annual supper, which is scheduled for September. “That has been a huge part,” explained Gerard of how the group gets the funds to help others.”

“The community has been awesome,” added Gerard.

If you are interested in helping New Sharon Fire and Rescue help others, you can designate on your check disaster relief. Your donation is tax deductible.

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