Our Opinion: Mutual aid a force multiplier for fire service

THUMBS UP to the volunteer fire service for its commitment to mutual aid. Risking your life to save people and property in your own neighborhood is plenty heroic. Doing the same for folks in the next county over is arguably an even greater sacrifice.

We saw the value of mutual aid partnerships Thursday when an estimated three dozen firefighters from at least 11 departments converged on Spring Hill Presbyterian Church. As dark clouds swirled overhead, lightning struck the country church’s steeple.

“We had a very good response from the mutual aid departments and also our departments,” said Chief Walt Williamson of the Rock Ridge Volunteer Fire Department. “We did have a little problem with water supply, and we got several departments that came out of Johnston County to help us with the water shuttle. We had to haul water from (N.C.) 42 to here.”

Williamson said a broken piece of equipment temporarily reduced the water pressure, making it difficult to pump from fire hydrants.

Rock Ridge relied on the Johnston County departments for water and leaned on a Nash County neighbor for elevation. After the church roof collapsed, firefighters sprayed out the flames from the Bailey Volunteer Fire Department’s ladder truck.

“They have the only ladder that’s in this area,” Williamson said.

Coordinating an emergency response among a dozen independent agencies from three counties seems akin to herding cats, but the partnership works more like a beehive. It looks chaotic to the untrained eye, but each member of the team knows his job and performs it as if by instinct. Practice makes perfect, Chief Williamson explains.

“We run mutual aid with all these departments,” he said. “That’s any type of structure fire or outside fire — we’re running with at least two if not three departments. We work very well together.”

That kind of cooperation brings peace of mind to all who call a rural fire district home in Wilson, Nash and Johnston counties.

THUMBS DOWN to the likelihood of increased activity in what’s been a slow Atlantic hurricane season so far.

“Computer models show about another one to two weeks of quiet time in the tropical Atlantic,” Andrew Freedman writes for Axios. “After that, all bets are off in what is predicted to be a hyperactive season.”

In late May, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center released a grim forecast: an 85% chance of an above-normal season, a 10% chance of near-normal and a 5% chance of a below-normal season.

“The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to have above-normal activity due to a confluence of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific, reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear, all of which tend to favor tropical storm formation,” a CPC news release explains.

We remind Wilson County residents to prepare for potential severe weather by packing emergency kits and making an evacuation plan. For tips and resources from the N.C. Department of Public Safety, visit www.ncdps.gov/blog/2023/09/07/how-be-weather-ready.

THUMBS UP to the 2024 Governor’s School Supply Drive, which invites folks to donate essential school tools for local classrooms at State Employees’ Credit Union branches through Aug. 9.

“We welcome everyone to stop by any of our branches to drop off their donated school supply items,” said SECU President and CEO Leigh Brady, noting the credit union’s 275 locations and presence in each of the state’s 100 counties. “Please join us in making this our best year yet.”

The wish list includes paper of all types, pencils and pens, crayons and markers, dry erase markers, USB flash drives, spiral notebooks, sanitizing wipes and tissues.

Organizers say supplies will be distributed to public schools in the county where they were collected. We hope Wilson County families will reach into their hearts and their wallets to support the effort.

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