Heroes 2020 ~ Darrell Jennings

FIREFIGHTER / EMT SAVES NEIGHBORS
AFTER TENNESSEE TORNADO

Firefighter made living room triage center
to save neighbors hit by Tennessee tornado

As soon as the tornado passed, Putnam County firefighter and EMT Darrell Jennings went outside to an “unbelievable sight” — his home was the only one standing.

“I heard screams and I looked to my right — none of my neighbors’ houses were there. They were gone,” he told ABC News on Tuesday. “As lightning flashed, I could see the subdivision side — the only thing standing was a tree.”

Jennings, a 32-year veteran firefighter, said he then immediately put his years of training into action and put out a call for injured neighbors to be taken to his home.

“As soon as I saw the destruction, I had my fire department radio, I called in… and said, ‘I need you to send me everything we have. Everything around me is destroyed,'” he recalled.

Jennings said he treated at least 20 injured neighbors, including several children, in his living room, where he checked for pulses, assessed breathing and gave sternal rubs.

“The floor was covered with people,” he said.

(from ABC News – read more)

I’m writing a new NON-fiction & would appreciate your help

Have you lived through a disaster?

Hi, I appreciate your assistance. I will be using your personal experiences for a book I am writing about surviving disasters (natural, man-made, technological, etc.) The only identification I am requesting is your FIRST name; any other ID offered will be kept in my personal file in case I need to contact you for more info and will be destroyed upon completion of the manuscript.

If you have lived through a disaster of any kind your responses will be extremely helpful to this project.

You can copy the questions with your responses into an email and send that to me at ChelleCordero@gmail.com ~or~ you can download the .doc (http://bylines333.com/?attachment_id=661), fill in the responses and attach it to an email sent to ChelleCordero@gmail.com , whichever is easier for you. Please put DISASTER in the subject line.

Email is my preferred method to receive responses, however if you would like you can snail-mail the form to me at: By-Lines; POB 333; Tomkins Cove NY 10986.

1)      What region of the country/world do you live in and what type of disaster has occurred?

2)      Can you give a brief description of what your living conditions were before the disaster (ie: single family home, trailer, apartment complex)?

3)      What was the extent of damage and losses to your family and home?

4)      Did you have any warnings of the impending disaster? If so, what preparations did you make?

5)      What resources were available to you to assist you and your family after the disaster?

6)      Were you able to recover after the disaster and resume a “normal” life? How long did this recovery take?

7)      What were permanent losses that could not be recovered?

8)      What changes have you made to avoid or decrease your losses if future disasters occur?

9)      Based on your experience, what advice would you give to others to mitigate losses and safeguard their families?

10)   Any other comments?