Wakumsha, Kansas: A Community That Acts Together

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Wakumsha, Kansas is like many other places in the United States - maybe not outstanding from the outside but extraordinary from within. A place that 36,000 people call home, and don’t look anywhere else for someone to prove that’s where they’re meant to be. Its foundation is families, and friends and traditions that might seem odd to more urban dwellers (ketchup on grilled cheese sandwiches comes to mind), but at its best it is a community that pulls together in incredible ways. And, led by a group of firefighters, half of them volunteers, in the week I was there it proved to me that acting together is better than going it alone.

A Family Legacy of Service

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The fire department is led by Albert Sanchez, a second generation Mexican-American who first reported to the fire station when he was 18, washing the trucks, feeding the dogs, going grocery shopping and sweeping floors. Now in his 50s, he is married with three children, including a son, Eddie, who for the last two years has reported to him as the youngest member of the team and still lives at home. Most days start off pretty much the same, having breakfast together with his wife and one of his daughters, saying a prayer to have a good day and keep everyone safe, and going to the station together in a Chevy Cutlass that still has plastic on its headrests.

A Night to Remember

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That sense of safety and contentment was quickly broken last Tuesday, when a fire broke out at Jones Tires on the outskirts of town. Further complicated by a gas station next door, and the Jones’ apartment above the shop, the call to 911 came in at 11:16 that night. Ed Granger was driving by and saw smoke, so he stopped to make sure everything was alright. It was then that he saw flames and spoke to Eileen Cannon in emergency dispatch.  She kept him on the line as she called Albert and told him the news. He called the station, and notified police chief, Ronnie Williams, that all hands were on deck. Meanwhile, Eileen worked with her colleague and friend, Arnie Daniels, to keep Ed on the line and tried to call the family. Fortunately Mike Jones picked up, but then the situation took a challenging turn.

Mike told her that he’d just woken up and asked what was going on. It was then that he realized there was smoke in the air, and he was having a hard time breathing and keeping his eyes open. Eileen was well prepared for this possibility. The first thing she asked was whether or not there was anyone else home, and when he went to check he reported that his wife was there and getting up, but their daughter was passed out and still in bed. She then asked if there was an exit free in the house. He said there was, but when she asked him to check if it was clear, he told her it was led directly into the shop below and was blocked by flames. It was then that she heard sirens.

Swift Action Saves Lives

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Within a few minutes, Eileen was able to help get the family to a temporary safe space and told them how to protect themselves from the smoke, but the situation was critical. Coordinating with her team, she kept two lines open – one with Mike and the other with Albert. They were soon able to relay the family’s position to the firefighters and tell them there was a dog (Badger) in the shop. He was the first rescue of the night, as they broke through the doors. 

It may be a small town, but big fires can happen anywhere, and it took the heroic efforts of 8 firefighters to put out the blaze, 4 police to help secure the perimeter and everyone on the phones and on the ground to get the family to safety. It was a difficult list of responsibilities to manage - assessing accelerants and potential dangers in the shop, protecting the gas tanks next door and making an exit plan to bring the Jones’ to safe ground, where they were greeted by 2 paramedics.

After two hours the immediate danger had passed, and Mike and his family were in good care, but by then it was nearly 1:30 in the morning and a few members of the crew remained until full daybreak to make sure no hot spots were left and police could secure the shop.

Reflecting on the Effort

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I sat down with Albert to learn more about the team’s response and the coordination involved in handling such a complex emergency.

IAED: Albert, can you tell me a little bit about how you were informed of the fire and your overall first impressions of what you and your team were walking into?

Albert: It was late on a weekday, as you know, and a small fire isn’t common but not as uncommon as you might think – even here in Wakumsha. When I first heard from Eileen (the emergency dispatcher) we didn’t know what to expect, but when she got Mike (Jones) on the phone and continued to ask the right questions, the gravity of the situation started to be made clear. I knew it could get real bad real quick.

IAED: Why did you come to that pretty immediate conclusion?

Albert: Well, first of all it was next to a gas station – so that raises some red flags obviously. It’s on the end of town, but what really pushed it over the edge was the family being there and not having woken up by the smoke. That told me it was probably started as a slow-burning fire, but even if it was slow-burning, with everything that’s in a business like that, or can be in one, that can change in no time.

IAED: From everything I’ve heard, your team took the lead on this emergency. Is that the case?

Albert: Yes, we took the lead this time. In all cases of fire, it’s our job to put out the flames and then make sure that it’s not going to just restart because something was missed. It’s also our responsibility to rescue any civilians who might be in the vicinity and in danger, and once we were informed of the situation that was our primary focus going in. And yes, as I know you bonded with Badger when you were over there with the the family, we made sure their dog had a way to escape any danger. He was already in an opposite corner of the shop, but there was no way out when we got there.

IAED: Thank you for that. What roles did other teams play that night?

Albert: Well, our police force was notified pretty quickly and they stopped any traffic on the Sheridan Street, the street just in front of tire shop and our main road. They also were there helping bridge communications with Eileen and my team to make an exit plan for the Jones’ – which ended-up being through a window in their living room. Their bedrooms were right on top of the fire, and the smoke from stairs leading to a kinda landing downstairs was really thick and blowing that way, so that was on the opposite side of their apartment.

IAED: What about the paramedics – how were they notified?

Albert: Oh, they were automatically called by the emergency dispatch team too,  just in case anyone – including anyone on my team, because of smoke or if something flares up unexpectedly – needs their help. That 911 team is pretty top notch, and I know that your company has been an invaluable help to all of us to nail down an emergency and provide the right help and advice as soon as possible.

IAED: Well, thanks again – I appreciate that, and will share that compliment with what I think is another pretty amazing team. In this situation, how do you feel having Priority Dispatch in place helped?

Albert: Well, I think that’s what your system is built for. No, not only that – we’d use it if a cat get stuck in a tree and something unexpected happened, but seriously when you don’t know what to expect and everything is changing so rapidly, it’s important to ask the right questions so you can react to what’s going on, and get ahead of it. The biggest thing last week was that I thought the family would have been woken up and out of there, but they just weren’t. And by the time we knew there was even a problem, there was no way out for them – or your friend Badger.

IAED: How are Mike, Sharon and Ellie doing now?

Albert: Oh, they’re fine. Living with Mike’s parents I think, cleaning up and trying to get some insurance money to help rebuild whatever they lost, but I know that a lot of people around here have been helping them along.

IAED: It sounds like Wakumsha is a pretty good place to be if you have an emergency.

Albert: I’d just say it’s a pretty good place to be.

About Wakumsha Emergency Services:

The mission of Wakumsha Fire, Police and Emergency Dispatch Services is to provide safety and security for the town of Wakumsha and surrounding area and ensure confidence that help will be there in any emergency or need. Its coordinated services are designed to be a model for small and medium communities across the country, with the goal to inspire and help protect the lives and wellbeing of all of its constituents. wakumshaemergency.org

About Priority Dispatch Corp.:

Priority Dispatch™ is the world leader in providing research-based protocol solutions to emergency call centers in medical, fire, police, and nurse triage disciplines. For over 44 years, EMS and 911 agencies have used the Medical Priority Dispatch System™ (MPDS®), initially with card sets and now only fully represented in ProQA software. Its solutions have been time-tested in 30 languages across hundreds of millions of calls and serve communities in thousands of agencies in 59 countries. Get to know us at prioritydispatch.net.

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