Youngstown firefighters and EMS crews along with others are struggling to get back to some sense of normalcy after a deadly explosion last week.
The blast left one person dead and many injured.
Firefighters still think about it, especially the man they couldn't save.
“I’m trying to get back to normalcy. That’s why we were out training today with our neighboring department,” Capt. Tommy Gibbs told WKBN.
“The only thing I’ve ever seen like it was pictures from 9/11. Something I never thought I’d experience,” he said.
Body cam footage from a Mahoning County sheriff’s deputy showed Gibbs and several other firefighters carrying an injured woman up a ladder.
“I reacted as anybody on this fire department would’ve reacted. Any of those guys would’ve done the exact same thing. I was just caught on body cam doing it. I remember speaking to her and asking if she could stand. She told me no. At that point I knew I only had one option to get her out of there. Yeah, I am scared, but the people in that hole were more scared.”
He and others think about the man they couldn't get to in time.
“I’m devastated over the loss. We left one family completely unrepairable….. I wish I could’ve done so much more. That’s the only part where I feel like a failure in this..."
Firefighters from Ladder 22, the first engine on the scene, visited victims in the hospital.
“We were all at risk. It was a dangerous situation. And to see the outcome and know how they feel, see the family and the looks on their faces — it’s a great feeling,” Gibbs said.
