"It delights me to see this many:" Milwaukee Fire Department, Red Cross receive huge gift

MILWAUKEE -- A small item provides a world of relief. Blankets can be critical to fire victims -- and on Monday, November 16th the Milwaukee Fire Department and the American Red Cross received a huge gift they say can be priceless.

Box after box, a trailer was unloaded outside the Milwaukee Safety Academy on Monday. Cadets formed an assembly line, passing along thousands of blended wool blankets.

"It delights me to see this many," said Patty Flowers with the American Red Cross. "We are going to be able to provide comfort to people."

Red Cross volunteers and Milwaukee Fire Department officials were thankful to receive the shipment from Firefighter Support Services based out of Michigan.

Because of gracious donations, John Carre with Firefighters Support Services says his organization is able to help provide these blankets.

Chief Mark Rohlfing says families face several forms of devastation during fires -- especially when they happen when it's bitterly cold outside. Red Cross volunteers see this firsthand when they respond to fire scenes to try to help.

"Recently, we had 17 fires in a six-day period that we responded to and over 164 people that needed our help," said Chief Rohlfing.

"When you get that little feeling of comfort, you have hope, and when you have hope, you recover," said Flowers.

The blankets will also be used if we experience a natural disaster in our area, such as a tornado or flood.

Red Cross officials say the donation was extremely helpful financially because they budget to buy blankets. Now, they can allocate that money to their clients in other ways.