One of Emergency Management Coordinator Jon Matz’s first calls after Monday’s crash was to the Schuylkill United Way.

Executive Director Kelly K. Malone was already networking to help the crash victims.

“We were aware of the crash,” she said. “We got a call from Joe Bessette of Wegman’s and a United Way board member and past president.

“Our next call was from John Matz. The United Way is a member of Community Organizations Active in Disaster,” Malone said.

The Red Cross of Berks County was also called into action.

“We became a team,” Malone said. “We as a community came together to address the good, bad and the ugly.”

The United Way has a community service fund to obtain accommodations for stranded people, and teamed up with the Red Cross to make sure people were comfortable.

Her organization also asked a Hazleton rental car agency to drive one to a stranded man.

“Just by having connections and getting people to stop and listen,” organizations were able to help, she said.

Malone said the United Way will help those who come to Schuylkill County to identify the remains of their loved ones.

“This is a community of togetherness. And it worked,” she said. “This is what we do. One of the reasons I am blessed to be here and do what I do. We are a community that cares for one another.”

The aftermath

That caring doesn’t stop with the crash victims and their families.

First responders not only put their bodies at risk, they also put their mental health on the line.

“It’s the mental part - am I doing the best I can do? It’s what happens after the calls. Am I going to go home and close my eyes and think ‘that could have been my family,’?” Zangari said. “Those thoughts and visions never go away.”

Mike M. Mistishen, director of Operations/EMS for Good Will Fire Company and Minersville EMS is also concerned.

“I worry about the mental health of our providers. They’ve had to witness some things the average person would never see in their lifetimes,” he said.

That’s where CISM - Critical Incident Stress Management - comes in.

“CISM had a program Wednesday and another Thursday. That program was set up immediately. After the deaths, we knew we had to do that,” said Wanda Keener, co-coordinator for the regional CISM team based in Orefield.

The program helps first responders get through traumatic incidents.

CISM usually meets with first responders within 24 hours to “help them process what happened. The process, called diffusing, is “basically discussion, and reminding them to take care of themselves, to sleep, to eat healthy, to take time for themselves, to not overindulge,” Keener said.

“Sometimes you’re tired and forget to take care of yourself,” she said.

“You’re allowed to have reactions to something like this, even though you’ve seen things like this before,” she said.

The next step is debriefing. It’s a little more in depth, we talk about any emotional things that have come up since the incident,” she said.

CISM can talk with responders in groups or one-on-one.

Keener said for first responders to watch for after a devastating incident like the I-81 crash include any particular change in somebody: trouble sleeping, being depressed, or just not acting themselves. Flashbacks and recurring thoughts are also signs the person may need help.

“I’ve heard ‘every time I close my eyes, I see it over and over again,’?” she said.

Keener said CISM workers, although trained, are not necessarily mental health professionals.

“If we’re not able to help people go through this process, we give referrals,” she said.

Matz said CISM is organized through the Eastern EMS Council. “They provide an opportunity to listen and to be heard. It’s a very valuable resource to have.”