Editor's note: The severe ice, snow and rain storms that struck northern New York State early this year forced emergency officials to call for manpower, apparatus and equipment from fire departments state-wide as well as from other areas of the nation. Here's an account of what firefighters from Erie County in western New York faced when they were dispatched to Watertown, 4 1/2 hours away.
Photo by David Duprey/Watertown Times Watertown residents take a daring walk, viewing the destruction in the storm's wake.
On Jan. 11, 1998, fire departments in Erie County, NY, were notified that a statewide fire mobilization and mutual aid plan was put into effect for Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. Firefighters were needed for emergency operations resulting from freezing rain, ice, flooding and widespread power outages in northern New York State.
Within hours, several departments in Erie County had committed to helping their fellow volunteers in the "North Country." Then a transmission was heard over the firefighters' radios: "Due to the overwhelming response of other companies around the state, the County of Erie has discontinued the need for relief crews; we apologize to those companies that committed manpower and equipment." But during the following week, firefighters throughout Erie County who were watching and reading the news knew they might be called on again.
Photo by Karen Pominville/Watertown Times Emergency workers use boats in West Carthage to rescue residents from rising flood waters.
Jan. 17 was a Saturday, and that night was a busy one, with several Erie County volunteer fire departments hosting installation dinners for their chiefs and officers. Then came the message many firefighters had been expecting: "Any fire departments interested in responding to upper New York State for relief crew land-line the county training academy." This time, though, it was a difficult for emergency officials to round up manpower quickly. Many interruptions occurred during the dinners to make phone calls to coordinate the 4 1/2-hour trip to Watertown.
A list of equipment needed was then faxed out to the fire departments by James Burns, regional fire administrator for Erie County. The list included storm emergency fire units, portable generators (10 kw or larger), portable pumps, chain saws, carbon monoxide detectors and breathing apparatus.
Volunteer fire departments from Big Tree, Collins, East Eden, Ellwood, Lake Shore, Lake View, Lawtons, Seneca Hose, Springville, Twin District, Vigillant and Whales Center worked through the night gathering equipment, going over expenditures and inspecting their vehicles. Members of the 12 departments met at 7 A.M. on Jan. 18 at the Erie County Training Academy in Cheektowaga for a briefing on what to expect as well safety considerations. An hour later, the 50 Erie County volunteers left for Watertown, not knowing what to expect. The units arrived in Watertown at 1:30 P.M. and reported to the Jefferson County Emergency Operations Control Center.
Referring to lists of equipment carried by each department, the control center deployed units throughout Jefferson County. The farther north of Watertown we traveled, the more the damage became apparent. The aftereffects of the ice storm were devastating. The people of Watertown had been without power, heat, food and drinking water for more than 10 days. Under more than six inches of ice, trees, poles and power lines were lying in and across roadways, making travel nearly impossible.
We were housed in fire halls in the small towns of Watertown where we were fed and were able to rest sporadically. During this time, we bonded with fellow firefighters by exchanging histories, stories, and ideas about calls and training. It was also here that we began to realize how good we have it in western New York with our updated apparatus and equipment.
Photo by Peter Barber/Watertown Times Downed power poles close a section of roadway just west of Watertown.
In Lathargeville, where members of the Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Department from Hamburg, were housed, a Lathargeville firefighter made a comment that I'll never forget: "We don't want you to leave - but when you do, please leave your trucks here." With the largest contingent of any of the Erie County departments (eight firefighters), Lake Shore arrived in Lathargeville with a $250,000 rescue truck that just happened to be placed in that small town because a 15-year-old had died in a house fire the day before. The Lake Shore crew, in fact, was asked to give Lathargeville firefighters and community members tours of its state-of-the-art rig.
Members of my department, the Lake View Fire Department, were housed in the Redwood Fire Department's hall. There, I came to the conclusion that although our companies in western New York may be equipped with everything we need, these volunteers in the small communities have even bigger hearts.
The people of Redwood couldn't do enough for us. I saw residents who were not even involved with the local fire department spend all day with the volunteers, doing anything they could to help their small towns get through this storm by helping in the kitchen, serving food, taking care of the elderly, fixing generators or answering the fire hall phones.
Fire halls and schools in Water-town became emergency shelters for displaced homeowners who still were without power, heat and food. It was there where the unfortunate people of the small towns were taken care of by the many Red Cross volunteers, Army troops based at nearby Fort Drum, volunteer firefighters from around the state, and other agencies. Out-of-town power company and telephone workers also were fed at the shelters during their stay.
The volunteer firefighters from Erie County became busy with emergency calls soon after they arrived in Watertown. The 12 departments answered countless calls for high levels of carbon monoxide in homes, companies and stores throughout Watertown. Reportedly five deaths were attributed to carbon monoxide during the storm. Near-fatal levels were detected due to kerosene heaters, generators and gas stoves that were supplying heat and power.
Photo by David Duprey/Watertown Times Utility crews begin the process of restoring power to the city of Watertown during the storm.
Door-to-door checks were essential in determining the welfare of the residents of these small towns. Due to the alarming number of requests for carbon monoxide checks in the towns of Alexandria Bay, Plessis and Redwood, "strike teams" (as the out-of-town fire departments were called) from the Erie County departments of Ellwood and Lake View had to call in their own mutual aid, along with local volunteers from Alexandria Bay, Plessis and Redwood. Lake Shore, out of Lathargeville, and Big Tree, housed in Depauville, traveled 15 miles to help with the important door-to-door checks. It was also then that it became apparent to us that a nationwide deployment was stationed in Watertown - paramedics from Miami, FL, were also sent to help us during our checks.
Many fire departments recorded carbon monoxide levels that ranged from zero rpm to more than 400 rpm. It was not unusual to find homeowners operating generators inside of their homes; one homeowner that Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Department came across was operating two generators in his basement. "We had to explain to the homeowner that this was not OK, even though he felt fine and did not want to get checked out," Lake Shore Second Assistant Chief Richard Drew said.
Local firefighters mentioned to me that before the ice storm, they had only heard of carbon monoxide calls - they had not responded to any. This is where the small-town volunteers looked upon us and our experience and our ideas to coordinate the door-to-door checks through the incident command system. We brought out maps and designed the best ways to sweep the small towns without missing a single home. The volunteers of Redwood had an idea that helped us. On detailed maps of their town, they had color-coded each home - red if firefighters had contacted the residents and they were OK; blue if firefighters knew the occupants were out of town or had relocated; and black if the residents had not been heard from. They also noted whether each home was being supplied with power and heat by generators, kerosene heaters, gas stoves or wood stoves.
During their brief stay in Water-town, the Erie County volunteers also pumped out numerous basements, cut down trees in roadways and assisted with many first-aid calls from Rural Metro units from Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, NY, as well as Indianapolis.
Photo Courtesy of North Bellmore Fire Department In just one example of the massive mutual aid response to upstate New York, nine members of the Long Island-based North Bellmore Fire Department were assigned to the city of Dexter, six miles east of Watertown. Noting that the Dexter firefighters were exhausted after working around the clock for six days, North Bellmore Assistant Chief James MacNamara said, "We became the Dexter Fire Department." Dexter firefighters responded to 417 alarms during all of 1997; in the 14 days following the ice storm, they answered 350 calls. The North Bellmore crew was eventually relieved by firefighters from Buffalo.
On Jan. 22, at about 7 P.M., we happened to be eating after a long day and suddenly we were alerted to a "signal 10" - a fully involved structure fire - in the nearby town of Theresa. We responded from Red-wood but to our amazement we had to travel 20 minutes to get to the fire. There, we discovered that our neighboring Lake Shore department also was fighting the fire.
Fire departments in most areas are accustomed to having access to hydrants for a water supply but the departments in the North Country aren't so lucky. We saw a tanker relay establish a water supply to the fire that was 1,200 feet from the road. The volunteers of the small towns had to lay a supply line of five-inch hose 1,000 feet long as well as a 2 1/2-inch line and several 1 3/4-inch handlines just to reach the fire.
"We learned to respect the difficulties of firefighting in the north, such as depending on tankers, lakes and farm ponds for water, and answering calls 20 minutes away rather than a minute or two," Drew said.
As volunteers, we hope we never again have to experience the effects of a storm of such magnitude but it was a sight to see how all of the volunteers deployed, various agencies and residents of the affected communities worked as one.
Drew concluded, "That's what the fire service is all about. They would have done the same for us."
State Fire Mobilization and Mutual Aid Summary
Following the storms, the New York State Department of State's Office of Fire Prevention and Control reported that:
- 553 fire departments from 46 counties responded with apparatus and personnel or sent equipment.
- 53 additional fire departments from nine counties were ready to respond but were not assigned. This represents approximately 35% of all fire departments in the state outside of the affected counties.
Responses included:
- 532 storm emergency fire units
- 21 engines, tankers, rescue trucks or other vehicles.
- 341 additional firefighters
- 207 generators
- 111 portable pumps
- 28 carbon monoxide meters
Aaron Antes is a captain in the Lake View, NY, Fire Department.
