Ed Sapp delivered thousands of meals and supplies to firefighters and other personnel during last fall's deadly Harris fire.
Sapp, 65, a disabled Rancho San Diego resident, was inspired by similar work his late stepson James Slusser did during the 2003 Cedar fire. Slusser was killed in 2005.
Sapp said he hopes to pass along his expertise so more volunteers can provide the same aid during future wildfires. He can be reached at harrisvolunteer@cox.net.
QUESTION: What supplies did the firefighters and sheriff's deputies and other officials who were out there need the most?
ANSWER: Chapstick. Eye lube – not Visine, but eye lube. Throat lozenges. Hand lotion. Socks. Any kind of a snack, but in particular the energy bars. Things that they could put into their pocket and use whenever they needed them . . . Oh, baby wipes and Q-tips were really important, because that was how they were able to clean up and get things out of their eyes.
Were there any items you avoided bringing?
Tobacco. . . . We had requests for cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff, that kind of thing, and we didn't bring any of that.
Can you estimate how much you distributed?
I would say over 6,000 meals, 10,000 snacks. Lip gloss, eye lube – probably 5,000 plus. Shoelaces would have been maybe 500. Socks would have been 1,500. Baby wipes and Q-tips and that kind of thing would have been into the thousands.
Most of it was donated. Probably 90 (percent). We think we (our family) spent somewhere between $1,200 and $1,500.
Is there a particular memory that sticks out in your mind?
I think it's a group of memories. . . . One of the things I was trying to do was say, 'Thank you,' and I never had a chance to because everyone was thanking me. And it was amazing to have everybody that you were trying to help thank you. That touched me more than anything else.
–Michele Clock
