It has been consistently busy in dispatch with additional calls of numerous fires over the past month.
It is that time of year for many to start clearing, cleaning and preparing land for the upcoming spring. This makes it a demanding time for all resources. This particular day dispatch has already answered multiple fire calls and taken reports of at least six controlled burns varying in sizes from a small leaf fire in the front yard up to multiple acres of field and woodlands.
As the phone rings…
Stevie: “9-1-1, where is your emergency?”
Caller: “There is a fire! Someone needs to come quickly! My neighbor’s barn is on fire!”
Stevie: “What is your neighbor’s address?”
Caller: “Oh, it is just down the road from mine at the Doghs Farms, everyone knows them – just get the fire department here!”
Stevie: “I am not familiar with that location. What is your address?”
Stevie was able to obtain and verify the location after an extended period of explaining that not everyone may know where this farm is. The caller was adamant that everyone knew who and where it was. However, from an emergency standpoint this is not always the case. For someone that may have been around the area may know who it is. However, those that are responding to the fire or any emergency may be newer to the area and are not familiar with the Doghs or any family. This is one of the reasons addresses/locations are vital to obtain and verifying. Along with this the location of the emergency determines what agency or department is dispatched. There are thirteen different departments that have service area in the county, each boundary is different, and many are separated by what side of the road it is on.
Stevie: “The fire department has been notified; is there anyone around the fire or possibly inside?”
Caller: “I don’t think so. I am on my way to work.”
Stevie: “Are you still there? Do you know what may be in the barn?”
Caller: “No, I just drove by; I have to get to work and didn’t stop. I don’t know what they have in their barn, just send the fire department!”
Once on scene the fire department advised that the smoke was only from the outdoor furnace that sat behind the barn. Depending on the vision angle it did look like the smoke was coming from the barn.
Abby: “9-1-1, where is your emergency?”
Caller: “I was driving through and there is a lot of smoke. I think something is on fire.”
Abby: “Where is the smoke at?”
Abby was able to talk to the caller obtaining information regarding the location of the smoke. The caller stayed on the line with Abby giving more details and even came up on the field that had flames getting closer to a house. This location was very close to a controlled burn that was called in earlier. With that information Abby was able to call the landowner, to check the status of their controlled burn. The landowner advised that his fire was finished with just a little smoke remaining. While on the phone he did state there was a lot of smoke to the south of him.
As Abby was updating the notes, Stevie dispatched the fire department for that area. Once the fire department arrived on scene, the landowner came around to talk to them. Turns out it was also a controlled burn, but the landowner did not advise dispatch nor fire department personnel.
Stevie: “9-1-1, where is your emergency?”
Caller: “I’m driving through and can see smoke; it looks like a huge fire.”
Stevie: “Where are you at now?”
Caller: “We are now between Houston and Cabool, but the closer to Houston we get the more smoke there is.”
Stevie: “Are you able to see flames or what is on fire?”
Caller: “No, just a lot of smoke that way.”
After a few other verifications questions the fire department was dispatched out. They were able to see the smoke; however, they could not locate the fire. It seemed to be well north of the area and possibly in another county.
Abby: “9-1-1, where is your emergency?”
Caller: “There is a fire out here!”
Abby: “Where is the fire?”
Caller: “Well, I don’t know, but I am leaving Boiling Springs area and it looks to be around Licking.”
Even though this call was close to the one that Stevie just took it was still handled, the same. Again, questions were asked. Stevie was already dispatching Licking Fire from the information that Houston Fire had relayed. Licking Fire advised it wasn’t in their area it may be some burning on the Mark Twain Nations Forrest area or further away.
Though the smoke is seen from the caller’s vantage point this is a case of the source of the fire, which was from somewhere else. Calls like this happen and happen often. However, they are still taken seriously and deemed an emergency until proven otherwise. This means local resources will be dispatched then when determined not to be in the area dispatch will advise surrounding counties for that area to be aware.
I would never ask someone to not call 9-1-1 if they thought there was an emergency. I will encourage all to take a few steps. First and most importantly, stay safe, never go to investigate if there is an actual fire especially in an area you are not familiar with. If possible, wait until the source can be seen. Also take into consideration that smoke can travel vast distances depending on circumstances such as the weather. With the differentiating landscapes it could be possible the fire is one, tens or even hundreds of miles away.
Some may think that calling in a control burn, even a small one, is a waste of time, but the exact opposite is true. Once dispatch has been advised of the controlled burn it is then relayed to the corresponding fire department. It is also information that dispatch has if your controlled burn is out of control requiring assistance, making for faster dispatch. Even one second can mean a world of difference in an emergency. Within Texas County and most of the surrounding counties all the fire departments’ personnel are volunteer based. With that the volunteer numbers may vary depending on the time of day.
The Texas County Emergency Services office in Houston is funded by a 3/8-cent countywide sales tax approved by voters in 2013. Director Terra Culley can be reached by phone at 417-967-5309 or by email at terraculley911@hotmail.co