The Dedicated Employees of Arc Human Services

On  October 25, 2011 Brian Culp, Behavior Specialist for the Children’s Program, was making his way to Mechanicsburg, PA for a training to train other staff on how to complete a Functional Behavior Assessment.  About an hour from his destination, the wheel from his car unhinged and got trapped under the vehicle.  Brian pulled over onto the side of the turnpike and noticed smoke bellowing out from the hood of the car.  Thinking he could contain the smoke, Brian attempted to move the smoke by using his coat.  A passerby pulled over to tell him to back away from the car as there were flames which could be seen from the bottom of the car.  As Brian backed away, his car became enveloped with flames and this set off a mini explosion.  He immediately called 911 for assistance.  The fire trucks arrived and doused Brian’s car with water and fire suppressant.  After 40 minutes, the fire was out, but Brian’s car was destroyed.  The police officer assisting Brian was very supportive, allowing Brian to sit and wait in the police car for the tow truck to arrive.  Brian called his girlfriend, Jamie Stratus to let her know what occurred and that he was safe.  Jamie also works for Arc Human Services, as a Residential Site Manager.  Brian also called his supervisor, Grishma Solanki to alert her that his car was destroyed along with all his belongings (credit cards, driver’s license, papers for the training).  Brian explained that he would try his best to make it to the hotel so that he could still attend the training.  Grishma explained that the training was something that could be rescheduled and he did not need to worry about going.  Brian was adamant about trying to get to the training as it was very important for him.  Brian asked his girlfriend to come and pick him up so that he would have a ride to get to the hotel, so at approximately 10:30pm, Jamie called her supervisor, Cyndee Frizzi , and let her know of the situation and to see if she could have the following day off to pick Brian up from Mechanicsburg.   Cyndee recognized how important this was for Jamie and without hesitation said absolutely.  As Jamie was on her way to pick Brian up from the side of the road, somewhere on the turnpike, Brian called Grishma and explained that the police officer who waited with him was able to get a print out of his drivers license and also called the hotel to explain the  circumstances of the events which had occurred.  The Hotel manager was more than accommodating, and stated that they would accept a paper copy of Brian’s drivers license.  The officer was also very kind and drove Brian to where his car was being towed, to get his soaking wet suitcase, and then took him to the hotel in Mechanicsburg.   Grishma called Jamie, to let her know of the changes in the plan and that she could drive back home and get some rest, so that she could pickup Brian tomorrow since he had a safe place to stay.  Jamie had also talked to Brian and was aware of the police officer being so helpful.  Relieved, that Brian was safe and on his way to Mechanicsburg, she turned around to go back home.    Upon arriving to the hotel, the staff there assisted Brian in laundering his clothes and getting the smoky smell out.  Around 2am Brian went to bed and awoke early to take the shuttle over to the training.  Later on that day, Jamie picked Brian up from the training and made their way back home.   Brian’s commitment to this training after such a long night and so many obstacles truly shows how dedicated  he is to his job and his professional ethics.  The chain of events could not have followed this positive path, had it not been for the people who supported Brian and his determination to get to this training.  I would like to thank Jamie Stratus for her devotion to Brian and Arc Human Services.  I would like to thank Cyndee Frizzi for being so flexible and supporting Jamie through this stressful time.  I would also like to thank the nameless Police Officer who went above and beyond his duties to ensure Brian was safe and secure for the night, along with the hotel management staff at the Holiday Inn for being so accommodating.  Last but not least, I would like to thank Brian Culp, for his dedication and devotion to Arc Human Services, you truly are an amazing person and an asset to our team!