The Joy of Emergency Services in a small town

Today emergency responders would have crapped their pants. Somehow being trapped over a half a mile underground, and rapidly running out of air was a fun time. That night and the subsequent week where amazing. I watched techniques and practices that very few people have or will ever see. I was honored and privileged enough to be consulted when the Howard Street Railroad Tunnel caught fire in Baltimore. Not bad for a volunteer who the county did not pay, nor never paid. And PROUD of IT.

 I miss it every day. Claiborne County EMA (as it was known then) could handle ANYTHING. And we knew our limits, so no one ever got seriously hurt (busted ear drums; 9 concussions; roasted ears; meth-lab induced asthma; and TBI alnog with PTSD) not withstanding, we survived.

We took on wildfires; flood; hazardous materials incidents; missing planes; missing people; drowning; mass causality incidents; mutual aid; multi-state jurisdictional issues; stupid county commissioners; just plain dumb county executives and mayors; know-it-alls; squirrels; wanna-be's; fakers; power-grabbers; tornadoes; the smallpox scourge; Y2K apocalyptic ministers and computer idiots; the Klan; and yes even death threats and warrants on me from a religious-white supremacists group and yes even post 9-11 money grabbing by jealous local agencies. Well the last one did me in when you have to make deals with on agency to help them all, well that agenbcy could care less about the people. 

This brings back memories when WE could handle whatever came our way. Cumberland Gap RR Tunnel Fire. Nobody had ever confronted an emergency like this. A fire in a railroad tunnel, under National Park property; with 3 states in jurisdiction. We came together and did it. Claiborne EMA (not Homeland Security) Over 100 firefighters from every department in Claiborne County (South Claiborne, Speedwell, North Claiborne, Clear Fork and TNTFD) There are not half that many firefighters now. TEMA; MSHA; Norfolk Southern RR; Bell County Coal; James River Coal; TN Mine Rescue; KY Mine Rescue; Over 200 people all together put it out. Something never seen done in the UNITED STATES by volunteers. I am proud of everyone of them from those days. Wayne Osborne Mike Satkowski Sonya George We did it.

The man on the (L) is a regional coordinator from TEMA; The one in the (M) is Rev. Ronnie Pressnell (then at Bell County Coal) and I am the one on the (R) is me a volunteer Director of Emergency Management; FFII; EMT-P; and a Heavy Rescue Technician. I was the only member of the FEMA Urban Search & Rescue Tennessee Task Force (Memphis/Shelby County) from east Tennessee. The only one that will EVER have been a member of that team from east Tennessee.