‘We go where we’re needed’
At the EVFD, Chief Marty Kazsuk, right, discussed response plans with those gathered following a tornado in their area Friday.
Authorities respond to tornado with precision and professionalism
By Wade Daffron
TJ Editor
Friday evening, a Kentucky State Trooper pulled his shiny, gray cruiser up to a gas pump at the Five Star in Russell Springs.
Holding a gas nozzle in one hand, and a cell phone up to his ear with the other hand, he appeared to listen intently to an ongoing conversation.
His eyes darted as lightning flashed, rain splashed, and wind howled around him.
Looking up, he ended his telephone call and fielded a question about reports of a nearby tornado touchdown.
“We’ve got units headed to Eli…we’ve got a report out of Casey County…and they’re needing help in Pulaski County,” he said. “We go where we’re needed.”
With a nod of his head, he issued advice to stay safe before he headed into that dark, stormy night.
A few miles away in Eli, first responders and emergency personnel from practically every local agency and entity rushed to the Eli Volunteer Fire Department (EVFD) on Parksridge Road, where a “command center” was established.
First responders from various agencies throughout the area rushed to the Eli Volunteer Fire Department Friday after a tornado touched down in eastern Russell County.
With precision and professionalism, brave men and women left their families and the safety of their homes to plan and plot a course of action to address the destruction in the darkness.
Reports poured in of possible injuries, flattened homes and buildings, twisted trees, and impassable roads.
Russell County Sheriff Derek Polston, one of the first people to arrive at some of the damage sites, encountered the best and worst of the situation.
Roads were blocked with debris, downed power lines laced the area, but Polston saw the good people of the Gosser Ridge area “jump in to help their neighbors out after losing everything.”
Calm, cool, and collected, EVFD Chief Marty Kazsuk moved swiftly between watching the weather radar on a computer, and addressing first responders gathered inside the fire station.
Dustin Posey manned a whiteboard on which he wrote essential information for all involved all to see.
Dustin Posey manned a white board where pertinent information was written for first responders to see as they coordinated plans following a tornado touchdown Friday.
Outside, sideways rain swept across the parking lot as citizens seeking shelter were ushered into a nearby storm shelter.
Two separate tornado warnings-one issued just after 9 p.m., and another announced by the National Weather Service (NWS) shortly after 11 p.m.-kept the county concerned.
Even in the face of danger, authorities were able to attend to two victims of the suspected EF3 tornado, and assessments of damage continued through the night.
Daylight Saturday brought a clearer picture of the devastation and destruction.
Gosser Ridge and Eli were certainly the hardest hit.
At presstime Monday, the NWS was still surveying damage and working with local officials to determine how many structures were damaged or destroyed in Friday’s weather event.
Much attention was focused on neighboring Somerset, which took a “direct hit” from a tornado.
Joe Branscum, with the EVFD, gathered with responders at the fire department last Friday night to pray for both victims of the tornado, and those offering assistance.
Joe Branscum, with the EVFD, readied equipment to respond to reports of a tornado touchdown Friday in Eastern Russell County.
Chief Kazsuk considered the aftermath “catastrophic,” and was quick to offer praise for the Russell Springs and Jamestown Volunteer Fire Departments, Russell County Sheriff’s Office, Russell County EMS, Russell County Emergency Management, Russell County Search & Rescue, South Kentucky RECC, the Red Cross, and everyone who responded to help.
“We all have to work together,” he said.
