Emergency services need callers’ help during floods
Citizens who need law enforcement, fire department or ambulance emergency service can help get it quickly by providing dispatchers with information on known or potential flooding near the site of the emergency, officials said Tuesday.
“We dispatch for 13agencies through our Rogers County E911 Center. They know the roads in their districts, but those needing help will have the most accurate knowledge of which roads flood during major storms or which areas are currently under water,” Mike Helm, Rogers County District 2 Commissioner, and Janet Hamilton, county E911 director, said.
“When our dispatchers ask for directions, callers should be prepared to provide any information possible about how best to reach the location of the emergency without encountering flood waters,” they added.
Kelly Deal, operations director of the Oologah-Talala Emergency Medical Services ambulance district (OTEMS), agreed:
“Our priority is to gain access to our patients and to not lose a unit to flooding. This is vital in getting help to those who need it as quickly as possible and in keeping emergency responders and their vehicles safe for that call and the calls that will follow.”
Deal noted that his service, which provides all Advanced Life Support (ALS) units, covers about one-third of Rogers County’s almost 700 square miles, including multiple lakes and rivers.
“There are areas prone to flooding in both the towns and large subdivisions, such as Oologah and Talala, and in the rural areas. Ambulances are big, but just like any other vehicle they are no match for onrushing water crossing a road at an unknown speed or depth,” he said.
Helm, Deal, Hamilton and other officials said those who best know where there is an existing or potential flood danger are those who live in the immediate area and have either seen the water rise or know where flooding regularly occurs.
“We don’t know what the next few days will bring, but the worst-case forecasts indicate that flooding could become a major issue in getting help where it is needed in a timely fashion.
“Citizens can help by providing dispatchers with information on known flooding, flood-prone areas, and alternate routes to the location where help is needed that use roads less likely to be water covered,” they said.
Citizens can help each other by calling neighbors if they know a particular route into an area is under water and what alternate route is still water-free.
“Oklahomans are known nationwide for working together when faced with emergencies. Our uncertain weather over the next few days provides a perfect opportunity to put that cooperation to effective use,” Helm, Hamilton and Deal concluded.
