Nov. 14, 2020, started off just like any other day for the Harrisonburg, VA, Fire Department.
At 10:07 a.m., everything changed. It was what happened to Tower 1 that made this response different.
Harrisonburg Chief Matt Tobia and the firefighters involved, including one who was injured, shared the incident in a documentary complied by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
As Tower 1’s officer noted, “I would feel awful if this happened somewhere else…if doing this awareness saves just one person, it’s worth it.”
A convergence of forces that day resulted in a situation that nearly led to the death of one of Tower 1’s members.
Tobia explained: "What drives firefighters to action is compliance and a demand for accountability. Company officers need to hold their people accountable. Apparatus operators should never move a vehicle without making sure that the personnel in the vehicle are seated and belted. It’s literally that simple.”
Deputy Chief Stephen Morris added: "We always say, 'Oh, that ain't going to happen to me. That's not going to happen here.' You know, it happened in small town Harrisonburg, so it can happen anywhere."
Tobia admits it's tough. "It's a violent video. It's hard to see that video. It's hard to see Josh being thrown out onto the roadway and understand just how close he came to being killed. Because when we say that we're going to do everything we can to bring our firefighters home alive and then we don't do it, that's a catastrophic failure on our part."
