County Offers Aid To Fire Victims

BENTONVILLE — Many people are in shock after they lose their homes and possessions to a fire, said Benton County Fire Marshal Marc Trollinger.

Trollinger is working to ease the trauma fire victims have to deal with by partnering with the county’s Environmental Division, the local representative of Project Linus and local businesses to put together a “care package” of information and a few items to help children.

“I love to meet people,” Trollinger said. “But unfortunately, for a lot of folks, when we meet it’s typically one of the worst days of their lives.”

At A Glance

For More Information

More information about the program can be obtained by calling the Benton County Fire Marshal at 479-271-1004 or the Environmental Division at 479-271-1083.

About The Project

Project Linus is a nonprofit organization dedicated to “Providing Security Through Blankets” for ill or traumatized children and teens. Inspired by a picture of a 3-year-old cancer patient holding her security blanket, Project Linus was begun in 1995 by Karen Loucks. Nationally, Project Linus has donated more than 4,463,213 handmade blankets to help comfort children in need in hospitals, shelters, and hospices. Project Linus has 368 chapters in the United States. Project Linus was named after the adorable security blanket toting character from the Peanuts comic strip.

Source: Project Linus, Madison, Wis., Chapter

Trollinger has investigated 69 fires in 2013. More than half of them were residential fires. It’s common for people to initially decline offers of help then realize in a day or two they need information or assistance, Trollinger said. By then they don’t know who to turn to, he said.

“People in this part of Arkansas are very hardy,” Trollinger said. “They’re prideful and sometimes they don’t want a lot of help. The next day, when it’s all sinking in, they’ll call us and ask about the Red Cross or some other place that can help.”

Teresa Sidwell, county environmental coordinator, said the care package is meant to give people a place to start to get the help they need. The package includes a copy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “After The Fire” handbook that provides tips on dealing with life in the wake of a fire. A guide for victims of fires, produced by Benton County, also is included as are a blanket and a stuffed animal for any children involved in a fire. Stuffed animals are donated by local vendors and the blankets are handmade by volunteers for Project Linus, Sidwell said.

Dawn Harris, Northwest Arkansas coordinator for Project Linus, said the blankets are made by local volunteers and come in a variety of colors, sizes, styles, patterns and materials. Volunteers include church groups, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and a large number of older women who volunteer their time to make the blankets. The organization provided more than 100 blankets to victims of the Joplin, Mo., tornado and locally works with the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter, Youth Bridge, hospitals and others to help children through difficult times, Harris said.

Having a blanket can mean a great deal to a child whose life is in turmoil, Harris said.

“It’s important for them to have something to hold onto,” she said. “It’s the security of knowing that ‘This is mine.’ They are our handmade hugs.”

The guide also will provide emergency contact information for Benton County, the American Red Cross and the United Way, space to record other information like insurance companies, banks and pharmacies, along with family, friends and neighbors. The booklet also has space on the back page to record information about the time, date and location of the fire, the fire incident report number and contact information for responding fire departments and for Trollinger’s office.

“I think it will be really helpful to people who are in a situation where they’re not thinking straight, they’re just reacting,” Trollinger said.

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