Joplin Chief Recounts Tornado Recovery

It took just minutes for a massive tornado to destroy much of Joplin, Mo. on May 22, and wipe out two fire stations and kill more than 150 of its residents. Joplin Fire Chief Mitch Randles says it will take his department more than a year to get anywhere close to its pre-tornado status, and he predicts the decisions he's making today will affect the community for a half a century into the future.

For close to three weeks after the EF5 multiple-vortex tornado thrust Joplin into the national spotlight, Randles has been at the helm of disaster mitigation and rebuilding efforts. Randles talked about his experience in a telephone interview with EMS World last week. The storm not only harmed his community, but touched him personally as well. He was one of four on the fire department who lost his home, his vehicles and his fifth-wheel camper which crashed into a neighbor's home.

"The only thing that we think can be saved is the dining room table, and we're not so sure about that," said Randles.

The chief, who has been married 22 years and has a son, 18, and a daughter 15, said he has fewer possessions than he did when he was first married. While it's hard on his family and himself, he's focused on rebuilding his fire department. His home life has taken a back seat to his duties to his community and his firefighters.

"We're slowly getting back to the new normal," Randles said. "It will never be the same as it was before."

The tornado took out two of the five stations that serve the community, destroyed three engines and two brush trucks and has put the brakes on construction of a sixth station.

It's taken all of his energy to manage the immediate life safety issues and salvage operations and now, he's consumed with decisions about rebuilding and apparatus replacement.

"I don't want to be the one that perpetuates the nightmare," Randles said. "The decisions I make today about station placement and design will affect the department for 50 years to come. I need to be thoughtful and not make rush decisions. It's going to take a long time to recover."

Even the decisions about apparatus replacement are important as Randles said his trucks are usually in service for 25 years. Manufacturers like Rosenbauer lent the city a pumper and Pierce Manufacturing donated two engines for the city to use.

Randles said he could place an order for demonstrator apparatus and take engines built on speculation, but he's not certain that's the best decision in the long run.

"We keep our trucks for a long time and it's better for us to have something that will work for us and not rush in and get something that might not work for my successor."

It's a lot of weight on his shoulders, but Randles said he's up to the task. He's got a great team, he said, but he ultimately has to make the executive decisions as the chief. He had a Saturday off recently, but the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers needed to talk to the top guy to figure out where and how to erect temporary quarters for the staff and apparatus of the two destroyed stations.

"We've got firefighters in RVs and we've got to get them in something better than that," the chief said. "We've got some really hot weather that came in after the tornado and we need to do better than the RVs."

In the meantime, the chief's wife and kids are in a rented duplex that Randles said provides shelter in the form of "four walls and a roof," but it's not home.

As the chief is working on homes for his firefighters and staff, his wife is shouldering the burden of working with insurance adjusters and clean up efforts.

"It's taking a toll, but we're all doing what we have to do," he said, noting that three other members of his department lost their homes too. He said it's a priority to restore schedules and routines to as normal as possible so his staff can rebuild their lives too.

Along with all those tasks, personal and professional, Randles has to deal with unexpected events like a surprise visit from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, which occurred last Thursday, and a funeral for a police officer who was struck by lightning during the storm and later succumbed to his injuries.

"That was tough," Randles said. "A lot of my guys were there when it happened and witnessed it and then worked on him after."

Randles is well aware that he and his staff are strong candidates for critical stress debriefing and he's also covering that with a session that was scheduled for Saturday.

And if all of that wasn't enough, Randles said he has to inventory all the equipment lost and then meet with the insurance company to make a claim, something he hopes happens this week.

In the meantime, neighboring departments have been "extraordinary" in their generosity, loaning equipment and gear, he said. However, he has to be careful not to take too much equipment or apparatus from his neighbors. They might need it themselves. Additionally, Joplin may need them to respond for mutual aid coverage and having a stripped engine doesn't do anyone any good.

The groundswell of support from the larger fire service community nationwide has been unbelievable, he said. He's working on a list, which he hopes to have available this week, of items the department needs to get themselves back in service. Once that list has been completed, he hopes to release it to see what can be contributed from the greater fire service.

"We're just trying to get back to some semblance of normal life for now," he said. "We still have a community to protect and serve."

To provide that protection during the interim has required Randles to be creative with his tactics. As a municipal department, his firefighters are used to using hydrants for water supply. He pointed out, however, the tornado "sucked hydrants out of the ground" in some parts of the community, damaging the water supply.

To compensate for that, Randles has been forced to put a tanker in service in that affected part of town.

"We don't use tankers, so that was something new for us," Randles said, noting, once again, that it will be part of the new normal, at least for a while.

Randles knows that the biggest stress reliever will be to restore, as best as possible, the department. Then, the task of rebuilding will become more manageable.

One of his firefighters who lost a home has young children and one is a special needs child. The department is trying to organize fundraising and donation campaigns for those firefighters as well, he said.

He's looking forward to the point where everyone can "take a deep breath" and then move forward.

"It's a rough time, Randles said. "For all of us."