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Home > About Us > Corporate Citizenship > | |||||||
| Volunteering Comes Full Circle November 2011
Lynn Van Sickler, a MITRE lead sensor systems engineer, is happy to support her community's firefighters as a volunteer for the Pikes Peak Firefighter's Association's Rehab Services unit—and not just because her son, Kent Smith, is a firefighter. "We don't have fire hydrants where I live," she says. "The fire department is an all-volunteer group. We are so thankful these people are here." Van Sickler learned about Rehab Services when she attended a community fire department open house last year with Smith, a lieutenant at the Peyton Fire Department in eastern Colorado. "Their mission is what led me to sign up. I decided that if there were other volunteers who were willing to go out and take care of my son, then I wanted to give back to that organization." Rehab Services provides first aid and health and wellness assessments for the 10 fire departments located in El Paso County. The Rehab Services volunteers perform blood pressure, pulse rate, and carbon monoxide checks on firefighters who are on scene responding to fires. Firefighters with high blood pressure or pulse rates "have to sit out and cool down, then we recheck them in about 10 minutes," Van Sickler explains. Once the firefighters pass the checks, Rehab Services volunteers give them a card to show their incident commander, and they are allowed to return to fighting the fire. "Several of the volunteers in the group are past and current EMTs [emergency medical technicians]. The rest of us have passed basic CPR and first aid classes," she says. In addition to first aid and health and wellness offerings, Rehab Services also provides food, beverages, and supplies. "Someone always comes up to me needing lip balm or contact lens solution," Van Sickler notes. "We want to help the firefighters feel good and get some energy. Some of them have gotten up in the middle of the night—they haven't eaten for a while. These fire scenes can last up to two days, and the firefighters don't have any way to get water or food if the Rehab group doesn't bring it to them." Van Sickler says that the most rewarding part of her volunteerism is the first aid services she provides. "I like making sure that the firefighters are healthy. I have a son who's out there—he's always on my mind." She also notes that the entire community often becomes involved in supporting both the fire departments and Rehab Services. Recently, Rehab Services responded to a hazardous material (hazmat) spill in an area 40 miles north of Colorado Springs. "The Colorado Springs team called one hundred different hazmat fire specialists, and they needed more than one rehab service." Van Sickler stayed on site for two and a half days, cooking and providing food for hundreds of firefighters, law enforcement officers, and volunteers. She contacted the manager of a local grocery store, who quickly helped her obtain food and supplies. Rehab Services and the Pikes Peak Firefighters Association, which are both nonprofit, hold fundraisers, such as a 4th of July barbecue festival, to raise money. They also accept private donations, and the local fire departments contribute financially each year. In addition, Van Sickler helps write grant proposals, which can be for money or supplies. "We're usually on scene for four to six hours, and we can go through 20 cases of water or energy drinks," she notes. She is grateful to MITRE and her government sponsor for their support. "A few times I have been called during the workday, and my government sponsor has been kind enough to allow me to leave. It's nice to have the managers say, 'What you're doing is important.'" —by Katie Packard
Page last updated: November 18, 2011 | Top of page |
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