JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Five Airmen from Joint Base MDL provided rescue efforts to local community members after overnight storms dumped heavy rain and caused flash flooding in Mount Holly, New Jersey, the morning of June 20.
District Chief Dave Coder, Captain Karl Ramm, Captain Terry Jewell, Firefighter David Kanko and Senior Airman Maurice Stevenson, all members of the 87th Air Base Wing Civil Engineer Squadron, responded to individuals who were trapped in high waters located on Route 206 and North Road in Mount Holly.
“At first we were on a call for a vehicle that was off the road in the water so we responded with our marine unit and Rescue 49,” said Coder. “We were diverted from there to an assist on route 206 to check out about 15 residents to get accountability and help out if needed.”
After conducting checks in the area to ensure the safety of the area’s citizens, about a half hour went by before a call came in to rescue people after a rise in flood waters.
“A call came in that a few people needed to be rescued. From there, we got our zodiac [boat] out to maneuver through the water and get to each house to check them out,” said Coder. “We got to one house where we rescued four individuals, two dogs, a cat and a potbelly pig.”
During the rescue, Joint Base MDL firefighters partnered with mutual aid fire companies from Pemberton and Easthampton. Events like these are used to train and gain experience for future scenarios that may arise.
“A lot of the chiefs in the local area know a lot of us in this shop, so they will call over to us to see if we can help respond. We can usually get there faster because we aren’t a volunteer department,” said Coder. “On average we get about one mutual-aid assist per week, but lately we have been getting more. It’s great for us because we get the training we need and we get to work with local departments who we have a great relationship with.”
For their efforts, no one was injured during the rescue.