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In the hours and days following a residential fire, victims can be barraged with decisions and tasks 鈥� everything from finding a place to stay, to replacing everyday items, to dealing with an insurance company.

And sometimes, such a tragedy means making the heart-wrenching decision to give up a beloved pet.

Franklin Frake doesn鈥檛 think anybody should have to make that decision, and he works on a daily basis to make sure residents won鈥檛 have to.

Mr. Frake serves as the emergency response coordinator for the , a Philadelphia nonprofit founded in 2011 that provides assistance to displaced pets, and their owners, during and after a disaster involving their home. The organization鈥檚 mission is to ensure that all members of the family 鈥� furry and not 鈥� are cared for.

鈥淭he firefighters come, they put the fire out, they do their investigation, and they go home,鈥� Frake says. 鈥淲e are there for people that are upset. They literally just lost everything, and we are able to give them, most of the time, that glimmer of hope back, that things are going to be OK.鈥�

Just hours before sitting down with the Monitor on a fall day, Frake was on duty and received a call about a house fire.

He immediately grabbed his gear and rushed to the scene, learning from residents and first responders that cats were believed to be in two buildings involved in the fire. After securing permission from the fire department commander, Frake searched both buildings and found a cat hiding under a floorboard in one, and under a bed in the other. He was able to quickly reunite the cats with their human companions 鈥� an opportunity he always relishes.

鈥淲hen we bring animals back and the reunion happens, everybody gets so excited,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t is so rewarding.鈥�

Rather than self-deploying, Red Paw responders are contacted about fires and other residential disasters through partnerships with the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, Philadelphia Fire Department, American Red Cross, and other response and relief organizations, both public and private.

Red Paw offers round-the-clock services through the efforts of Frake and founder Jen Leary, as well as a team of five part-time responders.

Beyond performing any necessary search-and-rescue operations, Red Paw also provides pets with emergency transportation, shelter, and veterinary care 鈥� sometimes even weeks after an incident. That way, pet owners don鈥檛 have to worry about finding a hotel that accepts pets. The postdisaster care thus allows them to focus on the many other issues at hand, helping them regroup and move forward.

鈥淚 kind of look at this as more of a social service organization, a little different than an animal service organization,鈥� Frake says.

Trained as a firefighter

No stranger to responding to fires, Frake served as a junior firefighter in high school and later, following fire academy training, as a volunteer at the fire department in Delran, N.J. He joined Red Paw in 2014 and appreciates the opportunity to combine his firefighting training and experience with his passion for animals.

鈥淚 have always loved animals,鈥� says Frake, who grew up with lizards and fish, as his brother was allergic to many pets. 鈥淥nce I got out on my own, incorporating animals was something I wanted to do in my life.鈥�

Frake acknowledges one of the occupational hazards of his work with Red Paw 鈥� the five rescued pets he currently has in his Pennsauken, N.J., home.

鈥淚 am not allowed to bring work home anymore,鈥� he says, chuckling, 鈥渂ecause they wind up staying too long.鈥�

Since the organization鈥檚 founding, Red Paw has assisted more than 2,600 pets and 1,300 families. The nonprofit has also reunited more than 800 pets, with 265 in 2015 alone. In addition, responders have seen an increase in search-and-rescue assignments 鈥� 58 in 2013, 178 in 2014, and 291 in 2015.

Frake attributes the increase to a broader awareness of Red Paw, as well as expanded partnerships. While he and other Red Paw participants tell their story in the community, he credits Ms. Leary鈥檚 personal connections with helping to institutionalize 鈥� and legitimize 鈥� the organization in and around Philadelphia.

Leary was previously a Philadelphia firefighter, and she鈥檚 also served as an American Red Cross volunteer. All Red Paw responders, she says, are trained and certified firefighters and know how to properly operate at the scene of an incident, something that adds to the organization鈥檚 credibility among fire department commanders.

鈥淭hat makes them more comfortable working with us,鈥� says Leary, who also notes the unique nature of Red Paw鈥檚 efforts: 鈥淭here are a thousand organizations that can help if an animal is abandoned. Prior to Red Paw, there was no organization that was doing this kind of specialty work on-scene.鈥�

She continues, 鈥淭he animals were being left: There wasn鈥檛 anybody that was qualified or allowed to go into these fire buildings. Now that we have this team of specialized responders who are able to do that, it gives people another option.鈥�

Filling a gap

No毛lle Foizen, deputy director for public affairs at the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, discussed in an email interview the role of Red Paw, which was added to the city鈥檚 emergency response plan in 2014.

鈥淩ed Paw fills a huge response gap for Philadelphia,鈥� she says. 鈥淒ata shows that people are less likely to evacuate if they cannot take their pets....鈥�

The nonprofit, she says, provides victims of a fire or other disaster with peace of mind as they recover. 鈥淧rior to Red Paw鈥檚 founding there were times that I would be at [the scene of an emergency] supporting evacuees and trying to hold a cat in my arms or a dog by the collar,鈥� she relates. 鈥淭hankfully Red Paw brings not only the expert skill set of animal care and search and rescue, but also ... a huge amount of emotional support.鈥�

Ms. Foizen also praises Frake鈥檚 commitment and 鈥渉is passion for disaster animal response.鈥�

Red Paw has aided creatures ranging from cats and dogs to venomous snakes, potbellied pigs, alligators, and monitor lizards. Responders and volunteers work to find care for any type of animal 鈥� even if that means transporting an illegal pet to a zoo or sanctuary. And although they sometimes recover animals that have perished, they acknowledge the comfort that the closure brings to their owners.

鈥淲ithout us, the animals are just there, and sometimes forgotten,鈥� Frake says.

Red Paw is funded through grants and donations, and its services are free of charge. 鈥淕etting funding for something that literally did not exist five years ago has definitely been a challenge,鈥� Leary notes.

Kramer the cat

Hazel Donnelly is one of the many who have benefited from Red Paw鈥檚 support. She vividly recalls being just blocks from her condominium in January 2014 when she and her husband learned of a fire in their building. Ms. Donnelly recounts braving the cold while hysterically pleading with her neighbor to rescue the couple鈥檚 cat, Kramer, only to learn that no one was being allowed in the building.

鈥淚t was just a total nightmare,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 imagine what was going on.鈥�

Fortunately, Leary and another Red Paw responder were able to rescue Kramer 鈥� and soon reunited him with his family.

鈥淚t was just such an incredible feeling to see that your pet made it out alive,鈥� she says. When the couple wasn鈥檛 able to find a pet-friendly hotel, Leary fostered Kramer until they could take him back.

鈥淚t just gave me such a sense of relief, knowing that my cat [was] taken care of,鈥� says Donnelly, choking up as she speaks. Red Paw鈥檚 鈥渃oncern was for me to get my life back on track, without having to worry about my animal. Never once did I worry.鈥�

How to take action

helps people give to and volunteer for top-performing charitable organizations around the world. All the projects are vetted by UniversalGiving; 100 percent of each donation goes directly to the listed cause. Below are links to three groups aiding animals or participating in disaster relief:

(Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) saves animals, administering care and lobbying for their welfare. Take action: .

provides sanctuary for orphaned chimpanzees in Cameroon while promoting conditions that enable endangered great apes to thrive in their natural habitats. Take action: .

aims to strengthen civil society in Haiti, which the organization sees as a necessary foundation for democracy and development. Take action: .