At 16 years old, I became the youngest person at the time to join the Sugar Camp Volunteer Fire Department, a humble organization in northern Wisconsin.
During my years in the small-town department, the majority of calls had nothing to do with fire. We were often first on scene when storms or heavy snow and ice knocked down trees on power lines and roadways. In those circumstances, it was our job to secure a safe area, direct traffic and wait until responders with the proper training and equipment arrived.
It’s been a number of years since my fire department days, but I can still remember holding a stop sign on the side of a rural highway around 1 a.m. so a bucket truck and crew had secure access to a fallen tree that took down some power lines during a high-wind thunderstorm. When my task was complete, I went home to a house without power and slept for a few hours before waking up to restored electricity. On my commute to school later that morning, I saw that same crew working at a different location, though many hours later.
RECOGNITION
It wasn’t uncommon for the fire department to receive handwritten thank-you cards from appreciative community members following calls. I enjoyed reading them at the time, but then didn’t give them much more thought. Now, I wonder how many thank you cards the crew in that bucket truck were given.
I scour the internet daily in search of stories featuring companies and the services they provide post-storm with little to show for it. There is a general lack of media attention about contractors and businesses that work to keep communities up and running following disasters.
Though it’s only been a short time since DCR became more than an idea, I’ve spent months lining up stories by connecting with as many contractors, product manufacturers and industry professionals as possible. It’s apparent from those I’ve talked with that recognition is not expected and the reason why you do what you do, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t deserved or helpful.
GOOD FOR ALL
Give yourself some credit and use press releases, social media platforms and any means of media you can to advertise the crucial service you provide. Bringing attention to and educating the general public about the diverse world that is disaster cleanup and recovery is beneficial to your business and the industry as a whole.
Handwritten thank-you cards may be a thing of the past, but shoutouts and sharing posts on social media are common practice and provide a thank-you message that can reach thousands. You can also give yourself or a company you know some acknowledgement through us — reach out and let DCR share the story. You do incredible work and we want to highlight it.
To the contractors restoring power and travel in small-town Wisconsin, to those navigating the mountains out west during the wildfire season and tackling the layers of debris following floods and hurricanes, and to everyone in between, thank you!
