Santa dispatched for kids whose homes burned

“It was just like my eyes sprang open,” she said. “Something inside me told me to wake up.”

When she noticed the nightlights in her house were off, she sent her husband to investigate. Once outside, he noticed a fire growing under the air-conditioning unit.

“I grabbed the kids and my pets and drove them up the street,” Roybal said, “but by the time I got back, the house was in flames.”

While the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada assisted the family with shelter and necessities, Operation Fire H.E.A.T. (holiday emergency assistance team) worked to rescue their holiday spirit.

The nonprofit serves Southern Nevada families affected by house fires during the holidays by replacing gifts and decorations, according to founder and president Fred Wechselberger.

“We go out and help those who pretty much lose everything,” Wechselberger said. “If Christmas presents are burned, we will replace them and a ton more. Even if it’s a situation where presents haven’t been purchased yet, we will go and do that for the family.”

Once a family has been selected, the organization takes them shopping for basic necessities, such as clothes and hygiene products. During this time, a member asks for the children’s wish lists.

“We’ve spent as much as $300 on gifts for a 3-month-old baby to $2,000 or $3,000 on larger families,” Wechselberger said. “We really want to take the burden off the families. They already have enough to deal with after a fire.”

As it gets closer to the holiday, Wechselberger schedules a meeting with the family. The first responders who arrived at the fire, members of the organization and Santa Claus then deliver the gifts in a fire engine, according to board member Jayson Calhoun.

“The best part is by far the amazing smiles that you see on the children’s faces,” Calhoun said. “When they see the fire engine, they get excited, but when they realize that Santa is inside, they get super excited. Then they realize that he brought gifts and is replacing their Christmas, and the whole family is just so humble and thankful. It’s an amazing feeling.”

In addition to providing gifts, the organization allows children to try on fire jackets and helmets, climb in the engine cab and learn about the equipment.

“We’ll take a hose line and charge it a little and even let them spray water,” Wechselberger said. “We try to make it into something fun and give them a good day that takes their minds away from the fire.”

Wechselberger, who serves as a dispatcher for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, started the charity in 2008 by asking other dispatchers if they were interested in donating $5 per paycheck to help replace presents for families affected by home fires during the holiday season.

During the first year, nine dispatchers collected about $1,000 and helped two families.

“(Wechselberger) got the idea just by being on the front end of the 911 calls and hearing about the tragedies as a dispatcher,” Calhoun said. “He heard the fear and sadness in these families’ voices, and he wanted to do something about it. That’s the beauty of the charity.”

The charity became a nonprofit in 2010 and serves about eight to 10 families a year from around Dec. 1 to Jan. 15.

“We work closely with the (the Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation), which provides assistance to families year-round, but because they are year-round, they only can help so much during the holidays,” Wechselberger said. “We’re unique because we only help so many families during a short period of time. Because of that, we’re able to go all out.”

Though still shaken by the event, Roybal and her family are grateful for the support they’ve received.

“We can’t make them forget about the fire, but hopefully when they look back, they won’t only remember the bad,” Wechselberger said. “They’ll see something good came out of it and that people do care and they’re not alone.”

For more information or to donate, visit operationfireheat.org or call 702-518-5585.

Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.