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A helping hand for emergency victims
Here at Sun Youth
by Nicolas Carpentier

In a recent press conference held at the Montreal City Hall, the city’s Fire Department officials unveiled their new plan to assist fire and other disaster victims. This new way of assisting Montrealers in an emergency situation involves three key players working in close partnership with the Fire Department (Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal, SIM): the Quebec division of the Canadian Red Cross; the Montreal Municipal Housing Bureau (Office Municipal d’Habitation de Montréal, OMHM); and Sun Youth Organization. Because each entity has a specific role to play, based on its area of expertise, comprehensive services can be offered to fire victims.
Here’s how it works:
Once a call has been placed with the Fire Department, the firefighters and other emergency workers rush to the scene for an immediate intervention. If the affected building is residential and requires the evacuation of tenants, the Red Cross is then called. Meanwhile, the Fire Department sends one or more buses to provide the victims with a temporary shelter and a place to gather. These red buses are modified school buses with utilities such as a washroom, a little kitchenette and an isolated area for meeting victims individually.
When Red Cross volunteers arrive on the scene, they proceed to the bus where the victims are gathered. In addition to comforting them, volunteers are responsible for making a list of those affected and of evaluating urgent needs (shelter, food and clothing).
As soon as it is possible, a Fire Department inspector evaluates the affected building(s) to see what apartments are not fit for habitation.
The victims, rendered homeless, are invited to find temporary shelter with friends or relatives. The Red Cross has the ability to provide housing accommodations for a short period, varying between 48 and 72 hours, after which victims of the fire are referred to the OMHM’s referral service. The victims also receive vouchers they can exchange at various stores to fulfil their material needs (food and clothing) in the aftermath of the fire.
At any moment during the initial intervention of the Red Cross, Sun Youth representatives can be called on the scene to offer emergency material assistance provided directly onsite, such as food, clothing, baby products, medication, etc. Once the situation has been assessed and after informing the Fire Department officials where the victims will be relocated, the Red Cross representative leaves the scene. With the agreement of the victims, their names are then transmitted to Sun Youth, the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal’s referral service and to the local employment center.
Sun Youth is also involved in the weeks following the event. After an initial phone contact with the victims to inform them about the services they can obtain from the organization, a Sun Youth emergency representative visits victims to ensure they are following the steps that will lead them to resume a normal life. The services offered include food and clothing assistance, baby products, medication, household accessories, etc. Sun Youth also provides logistic support such as transportation, assistance in looking for a new dwelling, recuperation of personal belongings, renewal of official documents, and more.
Sun Youth’s assistance to fire victims depends largely on the generosity of the public and on the goodwill of sponsoring companies. All of the clothing provided to fire victims is new and donated by companies; all of the household accessories (pots and pans, small electric appliances, bed sheets, etc) are given by the public. Sun Youth does have a budget to purchase anything the victims need. Monetary donations from the public are always gladly accepted.