Illinois group donates ambulance to Houma Fire Department

Following the Mississippi south from one shoreline to another, one group trekked to the Gulf Coast to lend a helping hand in south Louisiana’s recovery.

Nearly 50 members from four congregations collected a truckload of goods, brought strength to rebuild homes and donated a much needed item to the Tri-parish area. The Rev. Gerald Schalk from St. Matthew Lutheran Church led the travelers from the banks of Lake Michigan in Barrington, Ill., to the Bayou Region and on Jan. 11 donated a surplus ambulance to the Houma Fire Department

Houma Fire Chief Daniel Scott said this is the first ambulance the fire department has ever had and it was direly needed.

The Barrington Fire Department recently purchased new vehicles and was thinking about taking two ambulances out of rotation and selling them. Instead, they found new homes for the vehicles in communities that had been going without, said Barrington Fire Lieutenant Bill Brown.

The HFD had been thinking about acquiring an emergency response vehicle for sometime to send along with fire trucks and crew but, because a new model cost upward of $160,000, the department couldn’t afford to purchase one.

“This was a great opportunity,” said Scott. “The guys are ready to get this

(ambulance) up and running. It’s for the sake of the people and keeping our own members safe.”

Although the fire department will not initially send out the vehicle on general public emergency calls, Scott said one day in the future, adding a response system to the fire department might be considered.

“We can’t compete right now with Acadian Ambulance, the local service provider, but we are thinking about it n someday,” he said.

The visitors from Barrington, about 1,000-miles from Houma, dedicated both material aid and manual assistance to south Louisiana. Before making the last leg of their trip to donate the ambulance, the group of 49 stocked Baton Rouge’s food bank and helped rebuild a number New Orleans’ east side homes.

Schalk led the group with representatives from four congregations and the Barrington Fire Department; it was his second mission trip to Louisiana since hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Last year, he brought a group to gut houses in the Seventh Ward and donated a fire engine to the Metairie Fire Department.

Erik Ringstrand, 20, made the first trip with Schalk and sat enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun during the Thursday dedication.

“After the 29th (of December), you’re ready for a warm-up,” Ringstrand said, noting it had been nice to travel away from the chilly banks of Chicago to come help. Working double-time in the summer and school in fall and spring, he said the only time he can devote to service trips is during winter break.

“I like the traveling part of these trips and being able to see what’s going on here first hand, but actually getting to help others n it’s kind of addicting,” Ringstrand said.

“People here are so thankful for the help,” said Matt Silhan, 19, commenting on his first trip to Louisiana. “We helped one lady, nothing really big, but she couldn’t stop thanking us. It makes you appreciate life and the things you have at home.”

Ringstrand and Silhan are the youngest members of the mission group, the eldest visitor being 74 years old.

Schalk said the trip was not cheap, gas and lodging being the primary expenses for the trip. Each member put up $100 for the trip and raised additional funds from the four congregations. Schalk estimated total trip expenses somewhere between $15,000 and $16,000.

“These people worked hard to be able to come down here to help. And our mission is to bring hope back to areas that were devastated. We just do what we can,” he said.

Andrea Carlson can be reached at andrea@tri-parishtimes.com.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA