Overnight RoCo incidents imperil first responders

SALISBURY — It was a busy night for local emergency personnel.
“The last 24 hours have been challenging for Rowan County’s emergency response community—and for the families, agencies, and individuals affected by the various events that have unfolded,” Rowan Emergency Services said in a Facebook post early on Wednesday.
A structure fire around 1:30 a.m. on Hinsdale Avenue in the West Rowan community left a family without a home. Multiple agencies responded, including departments from outside their districts and mutual aid partners from beyond Rowan County.
During the incident, a “MAYDAY” signal was transmitted. However, according to Emergency Services, it was quickly canceled because of the “swift, courageous, and coordinated actions” of the crews at the scene.
Three personnel were injured and transported for evaluation from different parts of the fire. None sustained life-threatening injuries.
One of those firefighters was a mutual aid firefighter from another agency, Shepherd’s Fire-Rescue, who had answered the call. That firefighter was injured when part of the structure collapsed.
The other two were from Rowan County. One was a firefighter from West Rowan and the other was a fire investigator from the Rowan County Fire Marshal’s Office. Both of those individuals suffered from heat-related dehydration ailments that required treatment.
The house fire was the second serious incident that Rowan Emergency Services was responding to in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with the other being a vehicle-related pedestrian death on the interstate. In the ensuing incident response, a motorist struck a fire vehicle that was positioned in the roadway to protect the first responders on that scene.
“The apparatus sustained significant damage, but thankfully, our personnel are safe,” the Facebook post said. “The engine had been strategically positioned as a protective barrier, and it did exactly what it was intended to do—shield and protect the people working ahead of it.”
Both incidents serve as reminders of the risks facing first responders.
“Those who work in emergency services understand that difficult circumstances are never far from the work we do,” the Rowan Emergency Service release said. “Knowing that does not make these moments easier. Some days simply leave a deeper mark than others. Today is one of those days.”
Compounding matters for the first responders answering those calls today was misleading, inaccurate or incomplete information circulating among various social media platforms and other communication channels.
“During incidents, information moves quickly. Unfortunately, as details pass through radio traffic, scanner reports, social media, and word of mouth, pieces of information can become incomplete, misunderstood, or unintentionally distorted,” Rowan Emergency Services said. “A single radio transmission or isolated report rarely tells the full story of what is happening on the ground.
“… We also ask that you help us by sharing only factual information from trusted sources. Even when listening to radio traffic, individual transmissions cannot provide the full story. Our personnel must first respond, assess the situation, protect life, and address the needs directly in front of them. There are also times when, to protect the privacy, dignity, and well-being of those involved, we simply cannot share every detail.”
Rowan County Emergency Services Deputy Chief Allyson Summitt reiterated that in a phone call on Wednesday.
“It is hard enough dealing with the dynamics of the everyday, but having to do rumor control adds so much to our plates,” she said.
She also thanked the mutual aid agencies.
“The biggest thing across the board is gratitude for our Iredell County partners who came in to support and also gratitude that proper positioning of fire trucks continues to save lives,” Summitt said.