Marshall County volunteer fire crews that had been working 24 hours a day, seven days a week at a gas well fire are still recovering from the long hours at the job.
Although the well fire is out and firefighters have been released from the scene, their work isn't done.
"Were trying to get our list of all our hours compiled to turn them in, getting all of our air packs, our trucks, all of our equipment back in order. I mean, it's still ongoing," said Brian Marling, chief of the Cameron Fire Department.
The fire was the longest incident the Cameron Fire Department -- one of the main responding agencies -- has ever handled.
Marling said between his auto repair shop, family and firefighting duties, he's been stretched thin.
"I'd come in here, spend eight hours at work and then would take off and go out there and spend the rest of the time out there. We was sleeping in our trucks, sleeping in the fire trucks, just whatever we had to do," Marling said.
He was one of dozens of local firefighter who were at the scenes last week and said there were many standby hours along with their duties.
"Our first role on there (was) to make sure the scene was secure. There was no need for evacuation at that time," Marling said.
He said about a dozen volunteer firefighters from Cameron rotated in and out of the scene. Now that the natural gas activity is increasing in the Ohio Valley, he said crews "it's all about pre-planning, knowing who's going to be in town and when, to make sure Cameron's always covered. Do all the pre-planning that you can possibly do. You need to be well, well organized and it really makes things run quite smoothly."
When asked if he is ready for the next time something like this happens, he said, "Well, hopefully there won't be a next time."
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