One AU student put his wilderness and rescue skills to work both in D.C. and in Haiti this winter.
Junior in the School of International Service Ari Katz returned from more than a week on assignment from the Haitian Embassy just in time for D.C.’s record snowfall. Katz’s mission in Haiti was to prepare the way for future aid including the delivery of water purification systems and the installation of medical teams, according to his father Robert Katz.
Back in the United States, Katz volunteered as a fireman for the Seat Pleasant Fire Station in Prince George’s County during the so-called “Snowmageddon” this month, though he generally volunteers in Burtonsville, Md., The firefighters in Seat Pleasant are often called to emergencies in D.C. because of the station’s proximity to the city, Katz said.
Just weeks before the snow hit, Katz traveled to Haiti to fulfill his urge to feel more connected with the crisis, he said.
After being denied transportation multiple times, Katz finally found an unusual lift: actor John Travolta piloted Katz and a group of doctors intending to help victims in the ailing country in his private jet, Katz said.
Katz experienced something like culture shock upon first landing in the island nation, he said. Crumbling houses and the walking wounded lined the streets of Port-au-Prince, according to Katz.
Katz spent 10 days in Haiti assessing locations and hospitals for American doctors who expressed an interest in coming to help in the future, he said.
Katz described several incidents in which he attempted to speak with doctors and administrators inside hospitals and was forced to walk outside before they would speak to him.
“I couldn’t figure out why they were sitting outside in the sun when they could be inside,” Katz said. “Apparently they were traumatized by the earthquake, psychologically, and they’re afraid to be in buildings now.”
In both rural villages and the city, Katz saw examples of this, he said, though he was not certain how pervasive it was overall.
Where Katz was staying, there was no electricity and even the roads that once connected the city were in ruins, he said.
Yet when asked to compare D.C.’s recent snowy disaster to his experience in Haiti, Katz stopped to think.
“Well, it was a lot warmer in Haiti,” Katz said.
After his whirlwind week in Haiti, Katz said he hoped to catch up on some sleep. Even with the first flakes of snow, Katz held onto his hope for rest, but he said he also began to feel eager in anticipation of the activity to come.
“I was tired from Haiti, and I didn’t really catch up on my sleep after that,” Katz said. “But I got [to the fire station], and I was excited to go to work.”
During his first call of the day, Katz and the other rescue workers attempted to remove a man in cardiac arrest from his house in the chaos of a worried family, only to find that the ambulance meant to transport the patient was stuck in the snow, Katz said.
“After that it was just a string of calls nonstop for almost a day straight, digging out ambulances [and] fire trucks,” he said.
He and the other firefighters were up for 24 to 36 hours after Feb. 5, Katz said.
For the last four years, Katz has volunteered for various fire departments in Maryland. He started out as part of the Emergency Medical Services team in Montgomery County while in high school. He hoped that experience would strengthen his chances of getting into medical school one day, he said.
“I didn’t really join to help people at first, to be frank,” Katz said.
From there, Katz completed six months of training at the fire academy “throwing ladders, getting yelled at” and learning obedience, Katz said.
After countless nights of riding in fire trucks and ambulances and feeling that “adrenaline rush,” Katz’s attitude towards his work has changed. He said his maturity now allows him to see the value in helping others.
Katz said his father supported his decision to go to Haiti from the beginning, but his mother and grandmother were very reluctant about letting him go.
“They were upset and they were crying and it was really sad,” Katz said. “I felt really guilty about going down and leaving them like that, but I knew I can’t let them stop me from doing what I have to do.”
You can reach this staff writer at sparnass@theeagleonline.com.
