Answering the Call for Those Who Answer Ours

Every day, first responders run toward situations most people instinctively run from. They enter burning buildings, respond to violence, care for the critically injured and show up for complete strangers on their worst days.

But when a first responder becomes the one who needs help, who answers their call?

For families across Kansas and Missouri, the answer is often Answering the Call.

Founded by former detective Ronnie Doumitt, Answering the Call supports police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel facing severe injuries or rare, aggressive illnesses, whether suffered on or off duty. The assistance is immediate, personal and built around what each family truly needs.

The Call That Started It All

Answering the Call began in April 2015, when Ronnie’s friend and fellow police officer, Detective Josh Ward, went to the hospital after feeling ill. Josh was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a rapidly spreading bacterial infection, and was rushed into emergency surgery.

He died on the operating table three times. At one point, doctors warned his family that he was not expected to survive.

When Ronnie learned what was happening, he immediately drove to the hospital and found Josh’s wife, Melissa, waiting outside the operating room. At home were their three young children.

“I sat at the foot of his bed and pictured my wife there and me in that bed,” Ronnie recalled. “I thought, if Josh were sitting here, what would he do for me? I wasn’t going to let his family fail.”

Ronnie initially assumed resources would pour in for a family that had already given so much through public service. Instead, he discovered a significant gap.

As Josh fought for his life through 27 surgeries and four months in the hospital, the practical needs of everyday life continued. The family lost much of its income. Their washer and dryer stopped working. Their refrigerator failed. Their only personal vehicle needed repairs. Melissa spent long days at the hospital before returning home to care for their children.

“These are the things that happen behind closed doors that most people never see,” Ronnie said.

So he began helping however he could.

Friends organized meals and childcare. Ronnie found a new washer and dryer for the family. When the family’s van needed repairs, a dealership employee heard their story and completed the work for only a small administrative fee.

The community continued to step forward.

When Josh eventually awoke from a medically induced coma, his first concern was his family. Ronnie could tell him that the bills, the house, the children and the everyday responsibilities were being handled.

“We had them,” Ronnie said. “You could see a switch go off. He knew he could stop worrying about everything else and focus on getting better.”

That experience became the foundation for Answering the Call. A name that reflects its promise to respond to first responders just as they respond to the public every day.

Showing Up Without Waiting to Be Asked

Answering the Call is built to move quickly.

When Ronnie learns that a first responder has suffered a catastrophic injury or received a serious diagnosis, he does not expect the family to navigate a lengthy application process from a hospital room. He finds them, learns what they need and immediately begins mobilizing support.

Financial assistance is an important part of that response, but it is only the beginning.

Answering the Call has helped coordinate meals, childcare, home repairs, accessible ramps, mobility equipment, even home modifications and so much more. It has connected families with contractors willing to donate labor and materials. For widows of fallen first responders, the organization has also helped provide access to estate planning, trusts, financial guidance and relationships with other surviving spouses who understand their loss in a deeply personal way.

The needs are different for every family. It could be a wheelchair ramp, a shower chair, or a plumber responding to frozen pipes after the person who normally handled those problems is no longer there.

“One spouse told me, ‘You knew what I needed before I did,” Ronnie shared. “That’s what we want, to have those resources ready so that family can focus on their person.”

For Ronnie, the relationships do not end when the hospital stay is over or public attention moves on.

“When the dust settles and the door closes, this doesn’t end for the family,” he said. “You have to keep showing up.”

A Partnership Rooted in People

ECA’s relationship with Ansering the Call began through a remarkable series of personal connections.

Years ago, Answering the Call helped the family of a Wyandotte County deputy who was killed in the line of duty. Ronnie later met ECA CEO Jason King at a Policeman’s Ball, where they discovered that the deputy’s daughter had become part of Jason’s family through marriage.

What appeared to be a new introduction was actually the continuation of a story that had begun years earlier.

From there, Ronnie and Jason developed a friendship, and ECA’s involvement steadily grew.

“Ronnie operates similarly to us,” said Aunica Wainwright, ECA’s Director of Corporate and Community Engagement. “If he sees someone who needs help, he is going to find a way to be there. He isn’t just writing a check and moving on. He is invested in his people from the day he meets them.”

That people-first approach is what transformed the relationship from occasional support into a true partnership.

“ECA’s support has allowed us to be more impactful at the exact moment of need,” Ronnie said.

But both organizations agree that the partnership reaches far beyond a dollar amount.

“Writing a check is not the same as being a partner,” Aunica said. “You have to show up. You have to understand what is happening in their world, and they need to know they can call you when something happens.”

For ECA, that can mean donating electrical work, connecting Answering the Call with trusted contractors or bringing together a network of people ready to solve a problem.

“The beautiful thing about ECA is the long reach of its resources,” Ronnie said. “It isn’t only electrical. ECA has community partners everywhere. When Jason tells me to call if a family needs anything, I know he means it.”

When the Mission Becomes Personal

Aunica first encountered Answering the Call long before joining ECA.

Her husband’s coworker and close friend, an Independence firefighter, had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After his cancer returned, treatment interrupted the family’s plans to save for a home elevator needed by their daughter, who has disabilities.

That did not sit well with Aunica–or Ronnie.

Aunica quietly began fundraising without the family’s knowledge, knowing they would be reluctant to accept the help. Then Ronnie called her with news: a Kansas City company had agreed to donate the electrical work required for the elevator.

That company was ECA.

ECA also contributed $5,000 to the project and helped connect the family with additional resources, significantly reducing the cost of the elevator. At the time, Aunica knew little about the company behind the contribution.

Years later, Ronnie encouraged her to meet with ECA about a career opportunity.

“Our paths crossed years before we even knew it,” Aunica said. “ECA became involved because Ronnie made a phone call, and now I get to sit in a position where I help make sure our community partners have what they need. There is nothing more full-circle than that.”

The firefighter is now cancer-free, the elevator is installed, and the money that remained from the fundraising effort has gone on to help other families.

For Aunica who is married to a firefighter and whose brother is a police officer, the work remains deeply personal.

“I always hope to stay on the giving side of Answering the Call,” she said. “But there is comfort in knowing that if someone I love ever needs it, Ronnie will show up in every way he possibly can.”

Community Commitment Means Showing Up

ECA’s Community Commitment extends to the places where our employees live, work, and serve, and to the causes that matter personally to our people.

That is why employee involvement is an essential part of ECA’s community partnerships. Answering the Call events consistently receive an enthusiastic response from ECA employees because the mission resonates across the company.

“We have former first responders at ECA, spouses and family members of first responders, veterans and people whose lives have been touched by service,” Aunica explained. “How can we not show up for the people who show up for everyone else?”

That spirit of service is not reserved for galas, fundraisers or public moments. It is expressed most clearly when a family calls with an urgent need.

“Community Commitment is showing up,” Aunica said. “It is showing up when someone experiences a loss. It is showing up when a family welcomes a baby. It is showing up on the hardest day. It is so much more than donating dollars.”

That philosophy extends inside ECA as well.

“Who are we if we commit to helping organizations in our community and neglect our own people?,” Aunica added. “Community Commitment means caring for the ECA community as well as the communities around us. Life is hard, and it is even harder without people around you.”

Building a Future of Greater Impact

Ronnie’s vision is for Answering the Call to eventually serve first responders throughout the Midwest. The need does not stop at state lines, and other communities are already reaching out for support.

His goal is not simply to grow. It is to grow responsibly, while protecting the families who currently depend on the organization.

Answering the Call, has also established an endowment to help secure its long-term future. Ronnie envisions a day when the organization can enter a family’s life immediately after a catastrophic event and provide $20,000 or more with no questions asked and no strings attached.

“I want them to need and want for nothing,” Ronnie said. “I want them to be able to focus on recovery.”

ECA is committed to continuing that journey alongside Answering the Call.

“The exciting part is that we cannot dream big enough for what this partnership could become,” Aunica said. “The opportunities to take care of people are endless. We may not know exactly what the next need will be, but we know we are going to find a way to meet it.”

First responders answer calls for help every day without knowing what will be waiting on the other side. Through Answering the Call, and the community standing behind it, they can know one thing with certainty:

If the day comes when they need help, they will not face it alone.