Lewes Fire Department adds committee to help neighbors in need

A newly formed committee of the Lewes Fire Department has been established to lend support to local families who are victims of large-loss fires.

H2O, Helping Hands Operation, will provide basic necessities, gift cards for food and clothing and moral support to those who find themselves in the unfortunate situation of losing their home and belongings.

Founded by Lewes Fire Department Capt. Chris Colpo and Jess, John, Mia and Mikaela Gordon of Lewes, H2O is a way for the community to get involved in their local fire department while helping families in need.

“We respond to roughly 40 large-loss fire calls each year,” said Colpo. “That’s 40 families who, in a matter of hours, go from life as usual to losing everything.”

The Gordons were one of those families when their home was destroyed in a fire in March of 2021.

“It’s a devastating experience, and you just can’t underestimate the power of community when something like that happens,” said Jess Gordon. “I honestly don’t know how we would have gotten through the last year and a half without our family, friends, neighbors and even people we had never met before who helped us in the days and months afterwards.”

Colpo was the first responder on the scene of the Gordons’ fire. When the family reached out to him wanting to give back to the fire department and the community that helped them get back on their feet, the idea for H2O was born.

“I always felt like we did a good job with fire prevention, and when you need us, we’re there,” said Colpo. “But I had been wanting to find a way to get the community involved in the fire department without being a firefighter. H2O is the perfect opportunity for that.”

When the Lewes Fire Department responds to a large-loss fire, H2O will provide victims with “basics bags” for each member of the family, whether adult, child or pet. These bags will contain everyday essentials, from toothbrushes and phone chargers to reusable water bottles and snacks.

The committee’s goal is also to provide each family member with gift cards to local businesses for food and clothing. The Gordons are also prepared to help them navigate life post-fire.

“It’s not an easy road, but we’ve been there and we can share our experience, offer advice and, at the very least, empathize with victims in a way most people can’t,” said Jess.

There are many ways to get involved in H2O, which will be fully operational in January.

“People can donate gift cards, fulfill items on our Amazon Wish List and help us put basics bags together,” said John Gordon. “But we’ll also need our neighbors to step up when there are specific requests - meals, specific clothing needs, dog food, things like that.”

Recently, a Rehoboth family lost their home and nearly everything in it, but were able to salvage a box of their Christmas ornaments. H2O delivered a Christmas tree to them, and their 10 year-old son had the tree decorated within an hour.

“That’s what H2O is all about,” said Jess. “Being there for local families when they’re down and out and saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got you, you don’t have to do this alone.’”

For more information, go to H2OLewes.org.