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For Georgetown firefighters, and residents, the period February 25th through March 19th will not be long forgotten. It was a period when the Town experienced a massive power outage, and destruction by both wind and rain such as had not been seen in many years. It all began on Thursday February 25th when the area experience heavy rains that, as the day developed, saw sustained winds of over 50 miles per hour. For the day shift crew things started normal and about 2 pm the rain and wind began to intensify. At about 6:15
pm the first call was received for the Master Box at Baldpate Hospital. Arriving units found roughly three feet of water in a sub-basement area flooded a tamper switch for the sprinkler causing the activation. Water was pouring into the basement faster the two pumps already working could pump it out. After this there was a brief “quiet” period before everything went crazy. Just after 8 pm a call was received for a “tree into the house”. From this point on all units were straight out almost non-stop for the next 18 hours. Early in the storm a pine tree measuring over four feet in diameter came down at the Central Station just scraping the building but unfortunately crushing a firefighter’s car. Around 10:30 pm all power was lost to the town and crews were now operating in complete darkness dodging trees, utility lines and debris flying through the air. Fortunately nobody was injured during this period and
full power was restored around 5 pm on Friday. The loss of power caught many homeowners off-guard and unable to power sump pumps. This resulted in the fire department answering approximately 100 calls for assistance. With schools closed during this emergency the Chief was able to activate the Fire Explorer Post and have almost 100% participation by the scouts. They were an invaluable resource throughout the emergency assisting with evacuees at the Georgetown Middle High School.
Two weeks later, as the town was cleaning up from the February storm, the region experienced a Nor’easter that dumped close to a foot of water in the area. Fire crews began receiving calls mid-morning on Sunday March 14th for flooded cellars and from here it got worse. Fortunately this time there was no loss of power. However, the dramatic amount of rain falling, coupled with an already saturated ground, had sump pumps overwhelmed. Seeing the severity of situation developing at 2:30 am Monday morning Fire Chief Al Beardsley began to rotate crews for rest and rehab. At a little past 4 am the master box was received for the Perley Elementary School. Deputy Chief Russ Moyer and Captain Mike Bridges found the school’s auditorium flooded with several inches of water and the basement
had close to three feet. Due to the water approaching a main power terminal and extinguishing the pilots on the gas water heaters a decision was made by Chief Beardsley at 5:30 am to close the school for safety reasons. Throughout the day and into the week extra crews worked to help residents contain the flood damage. Fortunately only a couple of homes had to be evacuated during this storm.
“All in all the firefighters of Georgetown performed in an outstanding fashion assisting the residents of the town during this recent rash of serious storms. There was a lot of lost sleep and even more tired muscles by the time we got to Friday.” said Chief Beardsley. He went on to say, “When emergencies of this size hit a town, it hits everyone including the firefighter’s families. Our job is to serve and protect the citizens and I’m extremely grateful and appreciative for the understanding and sacrifice the families make during these times.”
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