In the summer of 1998, while building my home near Saratoga Lake, New York, a series of F3 tornadoes tore through the region, zeroing in on the small city of Mechanicville. From a nearby hilltop, I stood in sudden, haunting silence and watched as entire neighborhoods were erased across a twenty-five-mile path of destruction. In the hours that followed, the desire to help was overwhelming, yet the execution was chaotic. I saw the "fog of disaster" firsthand: people with the right tools were blocks away from people with the right needs, yet they remained invisible to one another.

This scene mirrored a tragedy from my childhood that shaped my understanding of what really happens in the face of disaster. A flash flood had devastated Elizabethtown, New York, my hometown, claiming the life of my close friend, Kevin Doyle, he was only fifteen. That night claimed 5 people, including an Olympic Bobsled hopeful, Tom Tanneberg. I knew all 5. In a heavy, blinding fog, a critical bridge had washed out. By the time the danger was visible, it was too late. My school bus had been one of the last to cross before it failed. We spent the next several days searching for survivors and collecting personal belongings to return to families. Returning one's documents was appreciated, and photographs were priceless. It was how we coped. That helplessness never left me. A few months later, I was invited to Kevin’s parents' house for his birthday. At first I refused but was forced by my parents to attend, as it was my role to help his family cope with the loss. His mother made his favorite cake and there was a chair left empty. A lot for a 16 year old to take in. I didn’t realize it then, but in those few weeks, I grew up quickly, and had an instant bond for any one, or any community going through the same thing. 

At that moment on the hilltop near Mechanicville, I called the Sheriff's non-emergency line and asked what they needed. They told me to stay home. That wasn't an answer I could live with. I grabbed my chainsaws and drove toward the devastation. The roads were impassable with the downed trees. Within less than an hour, I had about fifteen volunteers working with me, and soon we had the main road open. There was a line of fire trucks and ambulances following our progress. With the road open, we stood there catching our breath.  I realized something critical: disaster thrives in an information vacuum.

These two moments revealed a singular, haunting truth. Community resilience isn't lacking in heart or resources; it is lacking in infrastructure. People have a profound, instinctive desire to help.  The problem, they require a structured, real-time way to connect their specialized assets with those in need,which did not exist.  When someone has a chainsaw, a 4x4, a drone, or just a pair of hands and a willingness to help, they need to be immediately visible to the organization or individual crying for help.

We all agreed that day that we should solve that problem. Unfortunately, as often happens, life got in the way, and the idea sat dormant for thirty years. Over those decades, I participated in helicopter rescues after the Schoharie flood, flew supplies to Puerto Rico and Key West after hurricanes, and every single time I was struck by the same reality: incredible people, very little structure. Good intentions. No coordination. The fog of disaster persisted. 

Thirty years is a long time to wait for a solution to such a fundamental problem. Recent advances in technology made it clear: the moment to build the solution had arrived. While organizations like the Red Cross perform critical work, connecting volunteers and volunteer assets directly with people and organizations in need of these resources in a fast, expeditious way is a need they were never designed to meet. The Civilian Emergency Response Network was created as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation to fill exactly that void. 

The Civilian Emergency Response Network solution? The Heroes On Call platform is a digital infrastructure that bridges the gap and transforms raw goodwill into organized, effective action. Our mission is to empower community resilience by providing a precision-coordinated platform that instantly connects people in need with the specialized assets and willing hands of their neighbors, ensuring that no request for assistance goes unanswered. Our vision is to build the most trusted civilian assistance network in the United States, with a ready, organized corps of volunteers and assets in every locale, working as a secondary support system for local officials, professional responders, or any others in need.

We believe "staying home" is the wrong answer when you have the tools to help. We believe in the power of neighbor helping neighbor, using real-world tools and stated skills to deliver relief when seconds matter most.

We invite you to join us in this mission because no community should ever have to face the aftermath of a disaster alone.

Steven Conklin, Founder

The Civilian Emergency Response Network