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May 11, 2010
Emergency workers risk life, limb for community
By Vanessa Overholser - Staff Writer CNHI
May 11, 2010 — They could be eating dinner with their family, watching a spine-tingling movie or taking a nap but when the emergency tones on their scanners sound they drop what they are doing to answer the call for help. As calls came in, members of the local rescue squad, fire departments and police departments responded without a moment of hesitation.
Morehead Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief John Northcutt said the flood of 2010 was the worst he has witnessed since he started working with the fire department 31 years ago.
“The flood was more concentrated on U.S. 60 East, Morehead and Farmers areas,” Northcutt said.” After the initial flooding started at Triplett Creek and Tower Creek the water rose more rapidly. Resources became limited. The Morehead Fire Department requested for assistance from other outlining fire departments and the rescue squad.”
The Farmers Fire Department, Haldeman-Hayes Crossing Fire Department and Route 377 Fire Department responded, Northcutt said.
“We were very thankful that they were able to assist us with the flood,” Northcutt said. “It was very helpful. It demonstrated how well the agencies work together. The dispatchers did a terrific job under the circumstances.”
An Incident Command System and an Emergency Operation Center were established immediately to coordinate efforts of all emergency agencies for rescuing people from the flood, Northcutt added.
“Ronnie Day did an excellent job coordinating the operations of the flood rescue,” he said. “He made sure the needs of each agency was met.”
All emergency workers worked many long hours to rescue people.
“I’d like to praise all the emergency workers for everything they did to assist with the rescue operations during the flood,” Northcutt said. “The county and state road departments, the Morehead Utility Plant Board, Rowan Water, telephone companies, electric companies and volunteers who helped us. It was amazing how this community has come together as one.”
No human lives were lost in the flood, he said.
“We did receive reports that some animals have lost their lives,” Northcutt said.
The flood caused a significant amount of damage in Rowan County, he said.
Floodwater was in places where most people did not expect it. Rescuers had to utilize boats during their efforts to bring people to safety.
“There were a few residents we went to warn them that high water was on the way, we asked them to leave,” Northcutt said. “They refused to leave. It was frustrating.”
Captain of the Morehead Fire Department Dennis Walling and a member of the department for 15 years said he and of a group of firefighters were out of town when they received the call to respond to the flood.
“We were in burn training in Louisa when we got a call from John Northcutt saying that there was a flood in Morehead and he needed us to come back,” Walling said.
Walling said he was confident in his training and so he was not concerned about his safety.
“We do pre-plan for these types of incidents,” he said. “We plan for safety and for the best possible outcome for every rescue situation. There’s always an amount of fear that is in the back of your mind. We do worry about our own families. A whole lot of things go through our minds.”
Walling’s group assisted with the evacuations of residents living in Morehead Estates and Criqueside Mobile Home Park that day. Once firefighters brought homeowners safely out of their dwellings, they brought individuals to the BP store and gas station on U.S. 60 East.
“We are appreciate BP employees for allowing us to come in and sit in their store while we waited for clearance to move evacuees to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Center in the Carl D. Perkins Center.”
Brandon Jones, a member of the Rowan County Rescue Squad and Haldeman-Hayes Crossing and Farmers Volunteer Fire Departments said he was heading home from work when he received the emergency call.
“I went directly to McBrayer Road,” Jones said. “The bridge was flooded. Water submerged the road. We went from trailer to trailer to evacuate people because the water reached them first. Then we went from house to house to get people out to safety. We got everyone out who wanted to go.”
“It was crazy,” Jones said of the flooding. “I had never seen anything like it before. The longer we were out there the quicker the water rose.”
Jones has been a part of rescue searches and drowning recovery operations. The difference, he said, was when it came to recovery operations he already knows what to expect. The person he’s searching for is already dead and in rescue searches he knows that there is one specific area he will be assigned to go for the rescue search. The flood was totally different.
“We did not know where were going to be from one moment to the next,” Jones said.
He said currents from the floodwater were very strong.
“I had never seen water flip cars before,” Jones said. “We responded to a call about a car that was submerged in water but when we got to it there was nobody in it. The car spun toward us and we got caught in a current near the Texaco convenience store and gas station. The only thing that stopped us from being swept away in the current was a car sitting in the Save-A-Lot parking lot.”
Jones and fellow firefighter Kevin Mulligan had been working to evacuate and rescue people for more than 14 hours. The two had nothing to eat all day until a local resident brought them some food.
“There was a lady who cooked and sent food to us. I want to thank her for doing that for us. It helped us a lot. It’s so good to know someone is out there who cares about us.”
Lieutenant of the rescue squad Kevin Mulligan said the first call he received was about a submerged vehicle on Bull Fork Road.
“A guy was stranded in the vehicle,” Mulligan said. “I was at the boat waiting on stand-by.”
In another call, Mulligan was near the Rowan County Dog Pound on Bull Fork Road.
“The dog pound was under water,” Mulligan said. “We were able to get into the pound and rescue the dogs inside. There were some puppies in there as well. They were rescued to safety.”
Mulligan said Morehead and Rowan County was not ready for the flood.
“The water was so deep cars were rising out of the water,” Mulligan said about a rescue effort on KY 519. “They struck the motor of our boat and the motor was gone. Brandon Jones and I were on that boat.”
Those people left to defend their homes didn’t have an easy time either.
Frances Jones, the mother of Brandon Jones and Dewayne Jones, said she feared for her sons’ safety.
“I could not sleep that night,” Frances Jones said. “I walked the floor praying and crying. I worried that my sons would not make it back from the flood. I think everyone needs to know how important their job is and what they do for other people.”
She said the public does not realize many who serve on some fire departments are doing it from the kindness of their hearts and are not getting paid. Whenever the rescue squad and any of the fire departments have a fish fry or some other fundraiser people tend to hesitate to give financial support.
“I feel like people would quit hesitating to give to these guys if they saw how they risk their lives for others,” Jones said. “It’s not about who’s the best. They all do their job well. I want to see everyone get recognized. After Sunday’s flood, I’m more proud of them. They all laid their lives down.”
Aleisha Poole is a member of the Farmers Ladies Auxiliary. Her husband is a member of the Farmers Volunteer Fire Department.
“It was extremely scary for me,“ Poole said. “My husband has a scanner at home. I had to listen to the scanner and listened to everything that was going on and where they were located. There was a lot of stuff going on all over town. I could hear about all the devastation and how high the water was getting.”
Part of Poole’s family refused to evacuate from their homes because they didn’t think the flood would come near their property.
“When they did want to leave the water was at pretty high level and the emergency crews could not get to them right away,” Poole said.
“What wasn’t going through on my mind? I worried about my husband getting home safely. He was working to get people out to safety. My next concern was is my family going to get out? The guys on the fire department are like family. It was a very scary feeling to know that there is a chance that any of them would get the chance to get back home.”
People do not understand how important emergency workers’ jobs are, Poole said.
“I don’t think the public realizes what these men and women do to risk their lives to save others,“ she said. “In our lives it’s not family first, if the public needs us we are there. My husband will leave a hot meal and leave it sit because someone’s home is on fire.”
What people do not see is the emergency workers leave their homes to help others who are in need.
“A lot of guys on the fire department lost their homes and some of their gear because they were out there helping other people get out of their homes,“ she said. “They were out there trying to make sure everyone else was okay. Sometimes their homes don’t come first, it’s everyone else’s.”
Elliottville Fire Department firefighter Josh Ison said his fire department was called in to bring a fire engine into Morehead to be on standby for additional calls. He said the rescue operation was a group effort.
“Whoever was close to a call, they responded,” Ison said. “Districts didn’t matter. This was the worst flood by far. We’ve mostly responded to flash floods on Christy Creek in the past but this flood was the largest and the most widespread.”
Members of the Morehead-Rowan County Rescue Squad are:
Shawn Armstrong
Kevin Mulligan
Chris Duffy
Ed Lemley
Brian Plank
Kenny Adkins Jr.
Lester Maples
Gene Barker
Chris Duffy III
Dewayne Jones
Howard Taylor
Jason Branham
Jonathon Bowman
Zach Jones
Charles Keith
Mike Wright
Katie Littleton
Melanie Booth
Jerrmi Booth
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