Thomasville Fire Rescue has discovered a new resource to assist families affected by fire damage. Textiles Cares, a resource of 1-800 Textiles, provides laundry service for two to three days of essential clothing to homeowners facing a loss due to fire, storm, or flood damage.
Laundry damaged by fire is usually damp or wet with a smoky smell, causing bacterial growth. Extensive fire damage can leave residents with a heavy financial and emotional burden and recovery of laundry items depends on how quickly items can be laundered after the incident.
“When fire damage occurs, many homeowners are not only facing the loss of a home but of most of their belongings,” stated Tim Connell, Thomasville Fire Rescue Chief. “By the time a fire is extinguished and damage is assessed, our experience has been to tell the homeowner that their clothing cannot be salvaged due to smoke damage, so we’re excited to know there are additional resources that can potentially assist them.”
Through Thomasville Fire Rescue’s new partnership with Textiles Cares, residents will be provided with a laundry bag that can be filled with essential clothing that has been affected by fire, flood, or storm damage. Items in the laundry bag will be cleaned and returned within 24 hours, free of charge. Other soft goods like a special blanket or favorite stuffed animal can even be included in the laundry bag for cleaning.
“This is a ministry for us,” stated 1-800 Textiles Territory Manager Christi Murray. “We want to help return things back to a sense of normalcy and the little things like knowing you have the comfort of your own clothes is important to our company.”
Thomasville Fire Rescue will connect residents with Textiles Cares during emergency situations. For additional information, please contact Thomasville Fire Rescue at (229) 227-4099.