When I was 13 years old, I watched my friend’s trailer go up in flames. As we sat there watching, I felt so helpless & incredibly sad for her. That was the night my passion began. From that day on my goal & dream in life was to be a firefighter. But as the years evolved life didn’t work out in favor of my dream. At the age of 29 I was a mother of three incredible children, step mother to two amazing kiddos and expecting baby number six! Additionally, I was an entrepreneur running a successful self-made business. Life was wonderful and hectic. But amidst all of that an opportunity presented itself. A chance to take an EMT Class.

 

With the support & encouragement from my loving husband I went for it! I could begin taking those steps towards my dream of becoming a firefighter. During that class I learned so much. One of the biggest takeaways, & for certain the most unexpected, was the mental training it entailed. The realization of dealing with things no one should ever have to see & the possibility of having to save a life in the middle of it. I could have persevered and gotten through it, but at what cost? I don’t think my heart would have been able to handle it. I began the testing for the certification, but in the midst of it, my son was born & something in me had changed. Something told me this wasn’t my dream anymore & I was heartbroken. I didn’t want to admit it to others or myself. I just tried to stay busy with our family & my business.

 

Then, a few months ago I saw a post about a family from my community that had just lost everything they own due to a house fire. Right down to their family vehicle. They were a blended family with 6 kids just like mine. My heart cried out & I knew in that moment I needed to do something. So, I immediately reached out to see if there was anything I could do. They didn’t have a clue as to what they needed. Why should they?? 7 hours ago, they lost everything in the fire. They stood there in pajamas in the cold in the middle of the night. Most of them didn’t even have so much as shoes on their feet.

 

The immediate reality began to sink in. They didn’t have a vehicle big enough to drive them to the hotel. When they finally did make it to the hotel everything about them reeked of smoke. The hotel hygiene products weren’t good enough and they didn’t have fresh clothes to put on. A constant smell and reminder of the tragedy they just survived. They had to wait until morning to get new clothes, when the store opened & someone could take them. They were facing the fact that they’d be living in that hotel until their home was able to be completely restored & remodeled. No rental house would take them because of their family pet.

 

I wanted to fix it for them. I wanted to heal their broken hearts. In an instant this idea popped into my head. My passion was back & stronger than ever. I knew this was my calling. I was able to meld my dream & a way to serve families in our community that have lived through the worst. Fire Angels was born.