The first emergency response most people expect to a burning home or a natural disaster is the fire department, police or other emergency service personnel.

But alongside those dedicated workers is another group of people that helps to make natural disasters, fires and accidents a little easier to bear - the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Regardless of the size or scope of the disaster, the Red Cross is prepared to ensure people have a safe place to live, clothing, food and medication.Helping families recover from fires is one of the organization's most-requested tasks when it comes to emergency services it provides.The Butler County Chapter of the American Red Cross has responded to 26 single family firesin its current fiscal year,providing the basic necessities of life for those affected until they can get back on their feet.Unlike other organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Red Cross is federally chartered to provide relief in disaster situations."Other agencies may provide relief, but we're the only social service agency that is congressionally chartered to provide relief in a disaster," said Jody Knights, Butler County Chapter of the American Red Cross executive director.However, being sanctioned by the government doesn't mean the group receives federal funding."So many people see us as linked to the government ... (but) we shouldn't be considered an arm of the federal government," she said. "We get no funding from them. Everything we have is from local donations and the support of the local community."One of the biggest tests of the county organization's ability to help in a disaster came during the flooding in mid-September, when it helped more than 400 families.The organization spent more than $165,000 during the floods to provide aid to families in the county."We did that with very little national support," Knights said.The organization's annual budget is around $300,000, and Knights said it usually spends a third of that on disaster services.Knights said the agency relies on firefighters and the Butler County Communications Center to let it know when it may be needed following an emergency situation.Anyone who is recommended for assistance through the Red Cross is evaluated by Knights or one of her volunteer staff members, and an individual plan for that person is crafted, Knights said.For someone who has lost their home to a fire, hotel stays are usually part of the package. While there is no set limit on the length of stay, Knights said they are usually between seven and 10 days.Financial assistance also is provided based on the number of people affected by the incident."Obviously, a family that was displaced by a fire will receive more aid than a single person because there were more people affected," Knights said.

When most people think about the Salvation Army, the first thought that comes to mind is the bell ringers and red kettles that can seen and heard around Christmas each year, soliciting donations for the organization's holiday drive for needy families.But the organization does more than that.Maj. Robert Carney of the Butler Salvation Army said his group doesn't discriminate as to which types of situations it responds to."Any type of disaster, whether it be a fire or flood, when there's a national disaster, we're there," he said. "There's not a disaster that happens that we would refuse to go to."Carney said his organization relies mostly on calls from the 911 center on where it is needed and when.A recent example was the flooding. The Salvation Army set up canteens that contained both hot food and beverages for rescue workers and those who were being rescued.The organization also ran the distribution centers set up by the United Way of Butler County following the flood to help those families most affected get the household items they needed to rebuild, including furniture and appliances, Carney said."There is not a service out there that we will not entertain helping with," he said.

The Red Cross and The Salvation Army often work together on disasters."We work hand in hand with the Red Cross, especially during fires," Carney said.With flood or fire victims, the Red Cross will provide hotel stays for the victims if they need a place to stay.Carney said once the initial stay expires, the Salvation Army will offer vouchers from its organization to help extend that stay, as well as providing food vouchers for nearby restaurants.Knights said there are some cases where her organization has done all it can do to help someone, but that person may still need further assistance."That's when we will refer them to the Salvation Army or another agency," she said. "We don't duplicate services, and we make sure people understand that, but another organization may be able to help out with an area when we can't."An example of how well the two organizations work together came after the flooding, when many of the people who required help needed one thing before they could move back into their homes: a hot water heater."I knew they were doing something with helping out providing hot water tanks, so I called up Major Carney and asked if we could work something out," Knights said. She said the two groups were able to divide the needs based on electric or gas hot water tanks and the problem was solved."It was great, and all it took was one phone call to work it all out."

While both organizations are quick to respond to natural and manmade disasters, that emergency service is not the only service they provide.The Salvation Army provides many resources for the community, including a daily soup kitchen on West Cunningham Street in Butler. The kitchen provides meals on weekdays that feed an average of 80 to 115 people a day."We help with the basics of life - food, clothing and shelter," Carney said.In addition to the soup kitchen, the organization also has an after-school program for kids from 3 to 5 p.m. weekdays. Children who come to the program at the agency's headquarters on West Cunningham Street get help with their homework and then have free time to enjoy the computer lab or the game room, Carney said.The group also has numerous summer programs for children at its headquarters: its own version of scouts called the Sunbeams and Girl Guards, and both women's and men's groups that meet once a week. In addition, it offers Sunday church services to the public.The organization operates with a $60,000 annual budget, with $50,000 of that coming from the United Way."That's why things like our Red Kettle Campaign are so important to us," Carney said. "If we don't have a good season, come January, February and March, we have no money to work with."The organization also is in need of volunteers for its programs, Carney said.The Red Cross, too, does more than respond to emergencies.The agency provides first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation training for emergency personnel and the public every year."We train more than 12,000 people a year in first aid and CPR," Knights said.The agency also has blood drives throughout the year, collecting about 2,700 units of blood annually, Knights said.While it's not the same volume of blood collection a place like the Central Blood Bank collects, Knights said it is one way the agency is able to provide a service to the community.Because the agency only has three full-time and one part-time paid employee, Knights said the Red Cross relies heavily on volunteers."Volunteers are crucial to provide service," she said.The agency has about 700 volunteers on its roster, but of those, only 150 to 200 are considered active and have emergency response training, Knights said."We need so many more volunteers," she said. "We can never have too many."Volunteers in disaster relief receive free training, Knights said, on how to talk to those who need help and how to provide the assistance they may need.