Job Talk: March's Story

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Submitted by Capt. Scott A., a 22 year career FF

This is a short story about something that really doesn’t happen in the northeast. I never expected during my career as a firefighter living in eastern Massachusetts that I would find myself working as part of a task force after an EF3 tornado hit the western part of the state. An EF3 is the third highest rating with winds from 135-165 mph. The next day departments in my district were called for support, my chief asked four of us to staff a spare engine and join the District 6 Task Force. Being a part of this task force changed my life.

I was excited to break from the norm and help out. We convoyed out, approximately 20 engines, 90 miles out to where the damage was the worst. When we arrived none of us could believe what we were seeing. We were all very quiet. The task force leader was briefed, then we were briefed on our assignment. We were to go door to door through the neighborhoods looking for victims, bodies, and hazards. It was as if a bomb was dropped. Not a single tree was left standing, hundreds of houses torn to shreds, and we had the daunting task of searching hundreds, probably more like thousands of homes. Keep in mind this is Massachusetts in an urban environment, we just don’t do this.

One funny story from this experience: I walked by a house and the owner was outside. He called over “Firefighter, come here”. I walked over and asked if he was okay. He just smiled and said, “Look over there.” Behind his house there was a small river, maybe a 100 yards wide. He was pointing to a black object on the river bank. I asked him what it was and he said, “That’s my car”. This storm picked up his 4,000 pound car and launched it like a twig.

I saw hundreds of things I never thought I’d see that day. I now have a healthy fear and respect for weather that before that day I hadn’t felt. We do lots of special things as firefighters, but for a Massachusetts firefighter this was definitely beyond what I expected. Truly a life changing event and a tragedy for the 3 people killed, 200 injured, and over 500 families left homeless.

Captain Scott A.