By Scott Sturkol, Fort McCoy
FORT MCCOY, Wis. -- Fort McCoy firefighters sprang into
action to help local emergency response agencies deal with the aftermath of an
Aug. 27 storm that dumped up to 12 inches of rain and caused extensive flooding
and damage.
As soon as the storm passed, the Sparta Fire Department
requested aid from the post’s fire department, said Station Chief Forrest
Lefler.
“We sent firefighters and equipment over to Sparta to help
clear debris and clean up,” Lefler said.
After two hours of helping clear up areas of Sparta, the
Fort McCoy firefighters returned to pos,t but they weren’t there for long.
Early Aug. 28, they received a request from the Cashton Volunteer Fire
Department to help rescue stranded residents near Melvina, Wisconsin.
“We went to Melvina because the flash flooding was getting
bad,” said Fort McCoy firefighter Todd Swansby. “We went there with four firefighters,
our skimmer boat and a truck to pull the boat.”
The skimmer boat is 20 feet long with a water jet-propelled
engine. The boat can operate in 6 inches of water, Lefler said. The firefighter
team arrived to Melvina quickly, and were able to launch the boat swiftly to
rescue four people from an apartment building.
“The biggest challenge in this environment is the
fast-moving water,” Swansby said. “These kinds of floods are the most
dangerous. … I was just glad to be able to get those folks out safely.”
Rescuing People
Lefler said that after they rescued the first two people
from the apartment building, they knew they were dealing with some tough
conditions.
“When you’re doing this, the adrenaline in you is pumping
and you are focused,” he said. “After we got those first two folks to safety,
we had to catch our breath and take a break just for a couple of minutes. …
When we went back to get the other two people, it went quickly.”
The Fort McCoy firefighter team continued its work around
Melvina for more than two hours. On their way back from that city, they were
called to support rescue operations in Leon and Sparta, which are about 10
miles from Melvina.
“We were at a gas station near Sparta, got called, and we
went right back at it,” Lefler said.
Fort McCoy’s fire department sent more people and equipment
to support the Leon and Sparta flood-rescue operations, including a 12-foot
skiff with an outboard motor and the department’s dive boat, also equipped with
an outboard motor. The total flood rescue support now included eight
firefighters, three boats, and four support vehicles.
The Fort McCoy firefighters were among dozens of emergency
responders from numerous agencies in Monroe County and neighboring counties. In
Leon, Lefler said, Fort McCoy personnel helped rescue eight people and one pet.
Swansby said a rescue from a one-story home where the water
was flowing in and rising was one he’ll not soon forget.
“We made it to this house where there was a senior person
and her granddaughter,” Swansby said. “The basement had failed on this house,
and the water was moving so fast. We got the granddaughter to the boat first,
and then we went to get her grandmother.
“She had an injured arm and was having a hard time getting
through the water,” he said. “It was difficult getting her to the boat, but we
did it even as the water was rising around us. … We are always encouraging to
these victims, and we try to put on a brave face. What they might not see is
that we are just as scared as they are, and in this instance, I was scared
because that water was just rushing past so fast.”
The firefighters spent most of Aug. 28 helping with
emergency response operations in Leon and Sparta, Lefler said.
Swansby said many of the families they helped were still in
the process of repairing their homes from floods last summer.
“The positive result from this is that no one got hurt,”
Swansby said. “We got everyone, as well as their pets, out safely. I’d also
like to add the volunteer fire departments played a huge role in all that was
done. Those folks deserve so much credit for all they have done -- they were
incredible.”
Kelli Henke of Leon used a Facebook post to thank the Fort
McCoy firefighters “A huge thank you to them for the boat ride to drier ground
today. … You guys are very much appreciated,” she wrote.
Personnel who supported the flood-rescue operations, in
addition to Lefler and Swansby, were Station Chief Hunter Young and
firefighters Ryan Wilke, Luke Erickson, Craig Schendel, Art Gerpoltz, Jake Ross
and Jake White.
‘They All Did a Great Job’
“They all did a great job,” said Fort McCoy Fire Chief Tim
Jorgenson. As of yesterday in Leon, Sparta, and Melvina, rescuers had helped to
save 57 people and 27 pets from the floodwaters.
The installation also provided support to the Monroe County
Emergency Operations Center, where the Fort McCoy garrison commander exercised
immediate response authority by working with the 88th Readiness Division’s
Equipment Concentration Site-67 to provide a 5-ton M1083 medium tactical
vehicle to support further rescue and recovery operations.
The county requested the vehicle because a similar vehicle
became inoperable, and they needed to maintain the capability. The
all-wheel-drive M1083 is designed to allow the truck to navigate through high
water.
Airfield Services at the Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport on South
Post was ready to support refueling operations for Wisconsin National Guard
UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that flew officials to review flood damage from
the air.
Jorgenson said Fort McCoy will continue to support the flood
relief and recovery operations.
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