Mike Nelson, a man who dedicated his life to helping Iowans on their worst days, died this month in his own tragic emergency. Nelson, 47, a paramedic and former firefighter in Polk City, was a victim of smoke inhalation in his home. He worked for the Iowa Donor Network in Altoona, helping to transfer skin and bone to dozens of other people still alive who could benefit from the tissue. In his final act of service he himself became a donor, his very body given over to help as many as 80 people, not counting how his organ donations also may have improved or saved lives. I didn’t really know Nelson, but I know many of his relatives and friends in his hometown of Slater, where he grew up among a salt-of-the-Earth family that prizes service to others. His older brother is the current fire chief, a role that has also been held by his father and grandfather. Nelson was emblematic of these generous neighbors who answer the call to critical duty in our communities, the people we rely on to show up when we’re frantic and maybe fearing for our lives. These are the people who stay calm when we’re too overwhelmed, too panicked to think straight. They help make sense out of the chaos of an accident or disaster scene.