DAYTON, Ky. — Paul Berleman is back at work.
And he is safe. Thanks to the heroics of Brent Schafer – make that Capt. Brent Schafer and his crew.
But let us back up just a bit. Berleman is the manager of the Point Laundry – which provides quality commercial laundry services to various hotels. A percentage of the workforce is composed of employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) — which reflects on The Point/Arc’s commitment to inclusivity.
The mission of the 54-year-old non-profit based in Covington (Ky.) is to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities reach their highest potential educationally, residentially, socially, and vocationally.
And Schafer is the Fire Chief of the Bellevue-Dayton Fire Department – the joint fire department composed of appointees from the two Campbell County cities. Schafer has been a member of the two-city department for 25 years.
Now, for the rest of the story.
There was a fire at The Point Laundry – Sunday – and through the heroics of Schafer and his crew there was limited damage.
“There was some sort of chemical reaction,” Capt. Schafer said. “The reaction was with some mop-heads and there was major combustion outside the facility.”
Schafer went on to say there was some nasty smoke for miles around, “And our crew did an entire overhaul,” he said.
The Bellevue-Dayton unit was aided by area departments from Southgate, Newport, Fort Thomas, Silver Grove, and the Campbell County unit.
“The fire was a two-alarmer,” Schafer added, “Because of the heavy fire behind the building. We had enough individuals at the scene so we did not get caught behind the eight-ball.”
The damage, according to Berleman, was minimal. “We lost one dryer, and there was damage on our roof, but all-in-all things are OK, and thankfully no one was around to get injured.”
The Commercial Laundry was back functioning at one hundred percent Tuesday, Berleman said.
As for the cause, he said: “The fire accelerated by some dust mops and wet mops. It even caused flames through the roof.”
And the carts, he said, “We had laundered these kinds of carts before. In fact,” he added, “We had already laundered ten and the fire was caused by the eleventh.”
Judi Gerding, President and Founder of The Point/Arc was grateful as well as thankful for the quick response by the area fire fighters.
“Things could have been so much worse,” she said, “We were lucky to have such a
resolute crew, and wonderful response time.”
Berleman called the entire action “heroic.” Schafer’s response was simple. “We’re not heroes,” he said, “It’s just another day’s work.”
But Berleman, who has been in the laundry business 40-plus years, sees it in a different light. “I’d like to offer the entire fire department our laundry services anytime they want,” he said.
Schafer laughed and responded: “I don’t think they do uniforms. It’s not the kind of laundry they do.”
They would be the cleanest fire crew around.
In 1982, The Point/Arc opened its first social enterprise – The Point Restaurant, to provide vocational training to individuals with I/DD. In 1985, The Point Commercial Cleaning Company and Employment Program was added to provide job training, placement, and lifelong follow-up.
The Point Commercial Laundry was established in 1996. In 2012, The Point/Arc opened the doors to The Point Apparel (formerly The Point Logo and Design Company).
The Point Perk Coffee Shop, opened in 2015 as a way for the community to come in for a “feel good” cup of coffee, and to see the entire mission in action.