Helping heroes

Posted October 31st, 2007 at 4:41 pm by Stefania Bisharat Bauer, Yahoo! Search Marketing

 5 Comments / Filed in: Yahoo! For Good

Talking to my husband Robert on the phone on October 21st, I noticed he sounded worried. At first I didn’t pay much attention, figuring that it had just been a long day for his crew. After all, when you’re a Los Angeles County firefighter, your days can either be extremely hectic or slow — they’re very rarely anything in between. When he mentioned “all the fires,” it sounded like any other conversation we’d had. But when I turned on the news, I saw that this day was different. Ten fires were being pushed toward homes by Santa Ana winds, gusting to over 100 mph.

In shock that so much was happening all at once, I immediately began to worry for all the firefighters. The week continued with reports of more wildfires, news of evacuations and massive firefighter deployments.

We got lucky. My husband never got sent out. He quite fortunately had the day off when his shift was deployed. He ended up working overtime locally to cover for the missing crews. The days continued and the intense winds kept the firefighters from getting the upper hand. Reports said that it could be a week before firefighters would return home, and I knew, from dealing with my husband, that firefighters only carry 3-4 days of supplies in their bag. The command centers would be stocked with water, food, and firefighting equipment, but items like toiletries, socks, and T-shirts came from each firefighter’s personal supply. It was clear they’d need some help.

I mentioned this to a co-worker, who suggested bringing it up to Yahoo! for Good to see if Yahoo! could help. Working with my husband to figure out what would be needed, I rallied some volunteers and worked with Yahoo! for Good to engineer a “Purple Act of Kindness” to donate the requested supplies. Yahoos from our Burbank and Carlsbad offices traveled to command posts this week to deliver everything directly to the firefighters.

Yahoo! has helped about 3,000 firefighters in just a matter of days. That we could play some part in bringing these brave men and women comfort and words of thanks at a time when they’re so focused on helping other people is amazing. I’m happy to know that I work for a company that was so willing to repay those who always risk their lives to protect others.

Stefania Bisharat Bauer
Senior Revelance Analyst, Marketplace Compliance
Yahoo! Search Marketing

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5 Comments Add your own

gag | October 31st, 2007 at 7:49 pm

Inspiring post.
I am glad yahoo has “Purple Act of Kindness”, i know firefighters are tough and they can manage but this is a good opportunity to teach kids and future generations the importance of values, togetherness, and community giving through acts of purple kindness.

Mariano Rentería | November 1st, 2007 at 11:12 am

Woa… keep it up

Douglas Knight | November 1st, 2007 at 2:17 pm

Thank GOD for your husband and all the other underpaid servants(Police, Military, etc.) of the taxpayer who go out and risk their lives every day so that we can enjoy a peaceful and prosperous life!!!! This is one of several things I don’t mind paying taxes for- I am a disabled vet, and an old man or I would be serving still.

Matt Cutts | November 1st, 2007 at 6:04 pm

Great idea, Stefania! Well done, and I’m sure the firefighters appreciate it.

Monica B. | November 3rd, 2007 at 1:39 am

Awesome job Stef! It is inspiring to see how southern California held together and perservered through the fires. Though many homes were lost, the firefighters must be commended for saving thousands more. And they do their job best when they have support from their home and community. Thank You.