Charity’s Plans Revealed For House For Families Displaced By Fire

January 5, 2018

The Escambia County Professional Firefighters Charity has released details on a house they plan to serve as temporary refuge for families displaced by residential fires in Escambia County.

The house, located just off Creighton Road, will serve as a temporary home for fire victims for up to two weeks at no cost,” said Ian Ian Sumner, charity coordinator. “We don’t want to them to worry about paying for anything while they are here, down to meals.”

When a family is displaced by a fire that damages their home, the American Red Cross usually provides them with up to two nights in a local hotel. Sumner hopes the charity’s home will be able to provide an immediate place for fire victims to stay for a couple of weeks.

“It will provide them a place to stay and get back on with their lives,” he said.

Sumner said the process of recovering after a fire can be a daunting task, with or without insurance.

“There is a lot that has to be done, from replacing things even to getting emergency refills of prescriptions that were destroyed in the fire,” he said. The Firefighter’s Charity plans to work with the families that stay in home to help them connect with any community service organizations that may able to assist them.

As for the house, it currently belongs to Potential Church and is need of a complete remodel “from the roof down”. Sumner said.

The Escambia County Professional Firefighters Charity is reaching out to the public for help in getting the home ready — from donations of time, money or materials. They plan to start work on the house in February and hope to have it ready for fire victims within a year.

The chair will hold their annual fundraiser, the “Fire and Ice Gala” on Saturday, March 10 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach from 6 p.m. until midnight. Tickets are $60 for the event, which will feature dinner, a silent auction and door prizes. Sponsorship opportunities are also available from $100 to $5,000 for the Fire and Ice Gala.

For information on how to donate, sponsor the Fire and Ice Gala or to learn more information, contact Ian Sumner at (850) 698-3105.

Pictured top: An rendering of the future look new Escambia County Professional Firefighters Charity house. Pictured below: A current photo of the house. NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.

Comments

One Response to “Charity’s Plans Revealed For House For Families Displaced By Fire”

  1. No Excuses on January 5th, 2018 11:06 am

    I think this is a great idea! I’ve been in that house many times back when Scenic Heights Baptist Church owned it, before Potential took over. It does need work, but is a fairly roomy house and has a backyard where pets can stay as well.