For firefighters working 12-hour shifts in triple-digit heat to battle the Ross Fire in North Texas, having clean laundry makes all the difference.
Since Aug. 30, Texans on Mission volunteers have washed 807 loads of laundry for first responders in Palo Pinto and Mineral Wells. This service helps exhausted crews avoid long trips into town and lines at laundromats, giving them more time to rest and recover for the next shift.
Above all, it’s a huge morale boost, said Tommy Green, assistant fire chief for the City of Mesquite Fire Department.
“Everybody had a lot of dirty laundry and no one had the time to go into town to find laundry services — or wanted to,” Green said. “Texans on Mission is amazing, doing exactly what the job requires.”
Green, also a part of the Incident Support Task Force under the Texas Division of Emergency Management, has been working alongside fellow firefighters to contain the Ross Fire for over two weeks. He said the wildfire is classified as a FEMA Type 1 incident, the most complex level under the Incident Command System, requiring extensive resources and coordination.
The fire is now 88% contained.
Firefighters operate in two nonstop shifts, with one crew working from dawn to dusk and another switching out to work from dusk to dawn. Before each shift, firefighters attend a safety briefing before gearing up and heading out for 12 grueling hours in the hundred-degree heat.
“They’re exhausted, tired, dirty and dehydrated,” Green said. “They’re constantly running, going through brush and up and down hills.”
TXM Shower/Laundry Coordinator Phil Elery said he and his team are happy to meet a severe need for the “superheroes” on the front lines.
Elery, a retired Dallas police officer who spent 25 years in the reserve field with firefighting, said he feels for the responders faced with this formidable task.
“I know what these guys are going through, and it’s horrid,” Elery said. “They’re out here doing a thankless job in miserable conditions.”
The team is operating six washers and six dryers, running as many loads as they can from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Elery said. He’s seen and heard overwhelming appreciation from first responders who visit their laundry units.
“It really takes a village,” Green said. “We can do our part as first responders, but we need the support of local organizations. And Texans on Mission has definitely done that.”
The work doesn’t stop here
This is just one story demonstrating how we make a difference in the aftermath. Read more about how TXM is stepping up to help communities recover after tornadoes and strong winds devastated the Chicago suburbs and northwestern Indiana.