KS Firefighter Injured while Warning about Coming Tornado

A Kansas volunteer firefighter was injured when he was struck by a downed power line that wasn't live while warning residents about severe storms and a tornado Monday.

The tornado swept through the Seldon and caused significant property damage, The Wichita Eagle reports. Despite the damage, no serious injuries have been reported.

When the power was knocked out and rendered tornado sirens inoperable, Sheridan County Fire Capt. Micah Goscha used the loudspeaker in his truck to warn people of the looming storms, KWCH-TV reports.  

“We have got a protocol that when the sirens don’t go we start on the outside of town and work our way to the center and get our sirens going to let everyone know we have to get to our basements and everything," he said.

While he was warning residents, Goscha reached an intersection filled with debris. That included a downed, inactive power line that came through the back window of Goscha's truck and struck him on the back of the neck before whipping back out of the vehicle.

Despite suffering minor injuries, Goscha continued driving and warning residents. Those warnings helped residents get to safety and most likely contributed to the lack of serious injuries.

“We have a motto on the department: Risk a little to save a little. Risk a lot to save a lot. Risk a life to save a life," he said. "So we’re out here doing what we can to keep everybody safe.”