AREA EMERGENCY CREWS ARE DUE OUR GRATITUDE

The needs of modern society and the realities of evolving technology have, ironically, often made it more difficult to protect ourselves. The substances that make our lives better and more efficient are usually complex in nature and capable of great damage if not controlled. As recent news events have shown, there are people who have a handle on these dangerous situations. We applaud the area's firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency personnel for their commitment to learning about hazardous materials and for their dedication in combating them when accidents occur.

Examine three recent incidents in our region:

A tanker truck carrying 43,428 pounds of a chemical resin north on Interstate 55 has a tire, and subsequently his cargo, catch on fire. With a hazardous substance ablaze, authorities near Festus move quickly to close the roadway, reroute traffic and evacuate 150 people from nearby homes; they then proceed cautiously to bring the situation under control, letting the fire burn for a time, not rushing in firefighters until there was a firm grasp of the dangers. The bottom line: no injuries.

Rail cars carrying thousands of gallons of chemicals jump the track near Bell City, spilling their toxic freight. The response comes quickly and area authorities, many of them volunteers from rural fire departments, head to the scene. The threat of harm seems sufficient to evacuate the community; this is done in as quick and orderly a way as can be managed. Emergency crews work with the dangerous substances through a summer day and night until the menace to the community has been neutralized. The bottom line, again: no injuries.

A major fire breaks out at a fuel storage facility in the Nash Road industrial complex. A wide range of possibilities exist for those crews responding to the scene, including the chance that the smoke might be toxic and that other industrial facilities in the area might be at risk. At least six area fire departments converge on the scene to secure the area, safeguard people in vicinity and bring the fire under control. Once more, with emphasis: no injuries.

How is this accomplished? It is done quietly, to be sure. The people who deal with these emergencies get little limelight when no crisis exists. Their training in the handling of hazardous materials would strike some as tedious, but it is highly necessary when a time comes for emergency action. Those who answer the call of rural fire districts do so not for financial gain but for respect of community. The drafting of emergency plans gets little attention from citizens until a time comes when a perilous cargo is overturned and hundreds of evacuated residents need shelter overnight; then, the planning pays off.

Credit the personnel of these emergency agencies for preparation, resourcefulness, civic conviction and courage. We thank them only when they've come to the rescue. We should do so more often.