Occasionally though, his Red Cross work becomes personal. There are important family ties to Brandon’s work as a Red Cross volunteer.  His Aunt Tracy Sheehy also serves as a Red Cross volunteer with Brandon. A former fire-fighter for the City of Fife, Tracy became inspired by his work and joined the volunteer ranks soon after he did. Now each serves as a team lead on a Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) responding to emergencies such as house and apartment fires.

Another family connection was not so pleasant. One day in early 2010, Brandon was called to respond to a fire which happened to be at the home of his another family member – his Aunt Donna and Uncle George Iszler.

He remembers how difficult it was to watch his family suffer and how helpless he felt. However, his experience as a Red Cross disaster volunteer helped to walk his family through the initial steps to recovery such as calling the insurance agency and finding a place to stay.

Responding to his own family’s disaster emphasized to him the importance of disaster preparedness. “Generally, I respond to fires, do my job, and go home. But when my family experienced a fire, it brought home the fact that no one is immune from disaster. It became very real and personal. This incident proved that disasters can happen to anyone at anytime.”

When asked what first drew him to the Red Cross, Brandon replies that he has always had a desire to help others in his neighborhood and community. He was curious about learning more about the Red Cross volunteer opportunities, so he decided to give it a try. He found the mission of the Red Cross really inspired him and has been a rewarding experience both on a personal and professional level.

Initially Brandon served as a Red Cross disaster volunteer supporting the logistics function (warehousing, inventory, and facilities management). Always wanting to learn and help in any way needed, he quickly learned the ropes in multiple areas.

Brandon was given an opportunity to put his skills to the test when he was deployed in the fall of 2008 on a national Red Cross disaster response operation for Hurricane Ike. By the end of his assignment, Brandon had worked in two states (Florida and Texas) and served as a night-time shelter supervisor, a position that requires quick thinking, management skills, and patience.

In addition to being a Red Cross DAT lead, Brandon is also serving as a lead volunteer in mass care feeding and sheltering. He is gaining experience and training to be a Red Cross disaster operations manager.

At 23 years old, Brandon is one of the youngest volunteers at the local Red Cross chapter and certainly the youngest to hold positions of such responsibility. He is also among the most dedicated
as Brandon donates approximately 120 hours a month of service as a Red Cross volunteer.

What keeps him coming back?  The people he helps do. He says, “I get goose bumps and chills through my body when I help others as a Red Cross volunteer. I’m grateful that I have the privilege of helping people as a Red Cross volunteer. People are so thankful for the Red Cross help that they receive. The tears in their eyes and hugs of thanks are immensely rewarding along with the knowledge that you were able to help in some small manner in their road to recovery.”