Emergency workers show they’re ready in a jiffy
Warren County residents can be thankful any chance of real danger never erupted Tuesday night at Raintree Manor. Reports of a fire inside the nursing home turned out to be nothing more than smoke being blown into the kitchen area from an outside heating unit.
While the smoke provided a few moments of immediate fear, we can also take a more lasting impression from what first appeared to be a disastrous situation. The more lasting impression is one of reassurance from the way local firemen and emergency personnel reacted to the fire alarm.
In just minutes, the Raintree Manor parking lot was flooded with fire trucks, ambulances, and police officers eager to help in any way possible.
“If there had been a disaster, something major, they would have been here to handle it and that’s good to know,” said Raintree Manor maintenance director Tommy Adams. “That’s why I went up and thanked every one of those guys personally because I appreciate what they do.”
The cause of the fire turned out to be worn out bearings in the blower motor of a Raintree Manor heating unit. Because the bearings were in a blower unit, it naturally blew the smoke directly into the kitchen area through a duct that usually brings heat.
Raintree Manor employees followed proper procedure by pulling a fire alarm and retrieving fire extinguishers. From there, Warren County’s emergency services darted into action.
McMinnville Fire Department sent two pumper trucks, its ladder truck called Tower 1, and 10 firemen to the scene in what Fire Chief Kevin Lawrence described as a “standard response.”
Just as impressive was the work of the Warren County Ambulance Service, which arrived on the scene two or three minutes after receiving the call. Warren County sent three of its ambulances to Raintree Manor and also called C-Com, a regional dispatch service located in Cookeville.
Eleven minutes after the fire alarm was activated, ambulances from Putnam, DeKalb, Cannon and White counties were on their way to McMinnville. Seven minutes after that, an ambulance from Coffee County and two more from Smith County were also headed this way. Hamilton County’s ambulance service also called to offer assistance, but never actually put a vehicle en route.
“It’s always safer to have them rolling this way,” said paramedic Kenny Moffitt, who was the ambulance service shift leader Tuesday night. “That way, the worst that can happen is they will get called back home.”
Moffitt said the C-Com dispatch center has been in place for some time and Warren County answers such regional calls too. Recently, local ambulances were sent to Woodbury when the hospital there was evacuated.
The reported fire at Raintree Manor turned out to be nothing more than a little smoke and that is certainly welcome news. But what’s really a breath of fresh air is the sight of our emergency service agencies leaping into action with such efficiency. That’s the most encouraging sign of all.