Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/1534305
20 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 5 deployment. "I knew my patient's history—what's normal for them, what's not normal." Most nurses worked at both shelter locations, according to need. Assignments could change from Pasadena to Westwood. "It's very fluid. You are troubleshooting, changing pace, changing locations," said Patricia Guerrero Huertas, an oncology RN at Kaiser San Fran- cisco who has volunteered twice before with RNRN. "There is no dillydallying." A few nurses who staffed the mobile medical unit stationed in Altadena got an up-close view of the Eaton Fire's impact. "I looked across the street and saw the devastation. There was a car, the wind- shield had melted over the dashboard and steering column," said Tammi Bachecki, an intensive care unit RN at Kaiser Vacaville, who has volunteered on several RNRN deployments, including the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif. "It was eerie to know that the massive destructive force that wiped everything out was literally right where I was standing." RNRN nurses provided basic primary care—monitoring people with chronic diseases and checking oxygen levels, blood pressure, and glucose levels. They changed dressings on minor wounds and treated minor injuries. They also helped get prescriptions refilled. "Some people with mobility issues received mail order medications before the fire," said Devlin, who was volunteer- ing with RNRN for the second time. "But now your home is just a foundation and chimney, and you're living in a shelter. I would call their doctor's office and reroute everything to a local pickup at a CVS or Walgreens." Nurses also gave out melatonin to help people having trouble sleeping. There is no privacy; people are snoring, and others are coughing or moving around. "Shelter life is hard," said Guererro Huertas. "You lose your per- sonal space; you are with all these strangers sleeping on a cot. And you are dealing with the trauma of losing everything, and you have to figure out how FEMA works." In Pasadena, RNRN volunteers staffed clinic areas in the hall- ways outside the sleeping areas where they did triage, except for the isolation room, where nurses were stationed inside. At Westwood, nurses sat at tables inside the gymnasium. Any people with con- ditions that could not be treated in the shelter went to the hospital. A doctor and pharmacist were available at both shelters so prescrip- tions could be filled and delivered to the shelter. International Medical Corps also provided vital mental health services. Fire Figures Number of acres burned in the Palisades Fire, which began at 10:30 a.m., Jan. 7, 2025, incinerating areas of Pacific Pali- sades, Topanga, and Malibu before being fully contained on Jan. 31: 23,707 Number of acres burned in the Eaton Fire, which began at 6:18 p.m., Jan. 7, 2025, torching areas of Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre before being fully contained on Jan. 31: 14,021 Number of confirmed civilian deaths in the Eaton Fire: 17 Number of confirmed civilian deaths in the Palisades Fire: 12 Number of residential and commercial structures destroyed in the Eaton Fire: 9,414 Number of residential and commercial structures destroyed in the Palisades Fire: 6,837 Number of Eaton Fire evacuees at the Red Cross emergency shelter at Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena at its peak: 1,140 Number of Palisades Fire evacuees at the Red Cross emergency shelter at Westwood Recreation Center in West Los Angeles on Jan. 8: 235 Number of mental health consultations provided by International Medical Corps from Jan. 17 to Feb. 16: 1,261 Number of medical consultations provided by International Medical Corps to people in shelters, community distribution centers, and reentry points from Jan. 17 to Feb. 16: 872 Number of residents provided with primary nursing care by International Medical Corps from Jan. 17 to Feb. 16, with Registered Nurses Response Network volunteers deployed from Jan. 20 to Feb. 17: 632 Number of evacuees at the Pasadena Convention Center on Jan. 25: 361 Number of evacuees who moved on Feb. 17 from the Pasadena Convention Center to a Red Cross shelter in Duarte, the last day of RNRN volunteers' deployment: 64 Number of evacuees at Westwood Recreation Center on Jan. 25: 133 Number of evacuees at Westwood Recreation Center on Feb. 17, the last day of the RNRN deployment: 36 Number of RNRN volunteer nurses deployed from Jan. 20 to Feb. 17: 24 Sources: Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection), International Medical Corps, Registered Nurse Response Network, Pasadena Star-News, Daily Bruin "There is nothing like volunteering and getting out of your comfort zone. It gives you an appreciation for what you have." —Jane Sandoval, RN