Back Jerry Stevens, 66, of Imperial devotes hundreds of volunteer hours each year helping local residents deal with or prepare for disasters. He has volunteered since 2004 as a Disaster Action Team leader for the American Red Cross’ Arnold office. The team members respond to local disasters, such as house fires. “The team leader comes in during the disaster and evaluates it and then just goes from there,” Stevens said. “We (Disaster Action Team members) are on standby 24/7. We usually get four to five calls a month.” When the team members arrive at a house fire or other disaster, they help victims in a variety of ways, he said. “We provide firefighters with cool drinks and water or coffee,” Stevens said.  “And, we provide aid and comfort to the families. “We like to get there while the fire department’s there, so when they tell them (victims) they can’t go back in (to their houses), we’re there to help them.  We get them food, clothing and a place to stay.” Stevens is also a Red Cross Community Disaster Education instructor, teaching Jefferson County students how to prepare for disasters. “We go to the schools, teaching home fire safety, and we use the mascot 'Cool Cat' (a stuffed animal) for that,” Stevens said. “We use 'Disaster Dog' to teach about tornados and earthquakes, and 'Ready Rabbit' is for cold weather, how to protect yourself from the cold. We have health and safety lectures on how to wash hands, and for that, we use 'Scrubby Bear.' 'Longfellow Whale' is for water safety.” The Red Cross also offers disaster education courses for adults and business leaders. “We would like to get out to the adults more,” Stevens said. “We’re trying to get that started.” In addition, Stevens has located area buildings that could serve as temporary shelters during disasters. “People volunteer to let us use their church or school (in the case of a disaster), and I have to go make sure it has access and can provide what we need,” he said. Stevens was among five volunteers the Arnold Red Cross office recently recognized for their volunteer work. He received a Jefferson County Honor Award, which “recognizes continued outstanding volunteer commitment, performance or impact in Jefferson County,” said Stephen Hall, communications specialist with the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. “Jerry is one of our most dedicated volunteers,” Hall said. “He was recognized for all the hours he has put in. It was several hundred hours in a one-year period. He is very involved in what the Red Cross does.” Stevens received his volunteer award on Aug. 20 during a picnic held at the Turner Camp in Imperial. “The five individuals who were recognized for outstanding commitment have given above and beyond, and an unbelievable number of hours,” Hall said. Stevens put in 265 volunteer hours during the Red Cross’ 2004-2005 fiscal year, he said. When Stevens was just 17 years old, he joined the Air Force and served 20 years before retiring as a staff sergeant, he said. “One of my duties in the military was disaster response for a nuclear (disaster), restoring civil order after a nuclear event,” he said. Stevens said he decided to become a Red Cross volunteer so he could give back to the community. “I’ve been out of the service for about 30 years now, receiving a pension, and I thought it was about time I started earning my pension,” he said. “It’s direct contact with the public and doing public service.” Stevens said he saw the world while in the Air Force, including stints in Iceland, Libya and Spain. “I got to see all the good places,” he said. “The most memorable was Spain. It was the most legal and judicial community I’ve ever been in, and living was cheap. It was very nice living, and it was beautiful.” Stevens has been involved with the Boy Scouts for more than 50 years. He was a Cub Scout and later was a Scout leader. Now, he’s a unit commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America River Trail Council. He oversees a Boy Scout troop at Seckman Elementary School and a Cub Scout pack at Simpson Elementary. He is also a member of the Community Emergency Response Team with the Rock Community Fire Protection District. “If we have a disaster in my neighborhood, I’m there to give assistance,” Stevens said. He and his wife, Judith Ann, have three grown children – Christopher Stevens of Imperial, Kim Coma of north St. Louis and Vince Stevens of Branson, who also served 20 years in the Air Force. The Stevenses also have eight grandchildren. The American Red Cross always needs more volunteers, Hall said. “There are so many ways to get involved,” he said. “There are so many opportunities to serve, whether you have 40 hours a week to volunteer or a couple hours one evening every other week.” For more information about volunteering, call the Arnold office at 636.464.9150. Or, go to www.redcrossstl.org. “Individuals can fill out an online application,” Hall said. “It asks a series of questions to find out areas of interest and available times. After they fill it out, someone will follow up with them.” This story may be available for an Adobe Acrobat PDF download. Click on the link below to visit the site download center. If a PDF is available, the file will automatically open in your browser.

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