Lending a helping hand; Bourbon Co. firefighters among the first on the scene after Joplin tornado

A Joplin, Mo., resident walks through the remains of his home on 20th Street in Joplin, Mo. More than 8,000 homes were damaged during the EF-5 tornado on May 22. (Michael Pommier/Tribune)

People worldwide watched as emergency personnel searched the wreckage left after the May 22 tornado in Joplin, Mo., looking for survivors. Some of those brave individuals on the front lines were from Fort Scott.

Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou said approximately 16 people from the Fort Scott and Bourbon County fire departments helped in the search and rescue efforts. He said the FSFD sent three or four firefighters each day to work 12-hour shifts during the first week of the operation.

"It's just something you can't explain on TV," Ballou said of seeing what was left behind in the path of the EF-5 tornado. "When you have every landmark, every street sign, and it's no longer there ... it'll just baffle your mind."

The clean-up has begun for many Joplin, Mo., businesses such as Academy on Rangeline Road. According to reports, about 300 businesses were damaged during the EF-5 tornado on May 22. (Michael Pommier/Tribune)

While of the majority of efforts were geared toward search and rescue at the beginning, once the power was being turned back on some were sent to aid the local fire departments run fire calls, Ballou said.

According to Ballou, the Joplin disaster was not the first time local firefighters had witnessed disaster. Some were deployed to Mississippi in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina and Greensburg in 2007 following their devastating tornado. Since those locations were farther away, only a few got the opportunity to help, which meant many of the firefighters sent to Joplin were dealing with a disaster the like of which they had never seen.

"This one was fairly close to home, so we were able to send a few more than we are normally able to," Ballou said. "This time we had people go down there that had never experienced that before ... I think they did very well."

With many of the responders being first-timers, Ballou said there was a lot of on-scene education. The responders learned the importance of keeping themselves safe when walking through and around the debris while searching for victims and survivors, he said. In addition, responders were also exposed to the use of GPS devices to navigate the area -- something that Ballou said could be beneficial if something like this were to happen in Bourbon County.

"You always learn things when you go to help out with these things," he said.

The response from emergency personnel in Bourbon County was not spontaneous. Ballou said as the storm was approaching Joplin, the Bourbon County Emergency Management team was formulating a response plan. Through the coordination of Ballou, Bourbon County Emergency Manager Keith Jeffers and Bourbon County Rural Fire District No. 3 Coordinator Delwin Mumbower, a response effort was put together and personnel were on the scene just three hours after the tornado had cleared the area.

"That's one of the key things in these disasters," Ballou said of the preparation.

After their duty in Joplin was complete, many of the firefighters went back on their own time to help other groups and civilians cut down trees and clean up debris.

"If they get a free minute, they run down there and help," Ballou said.