Southington Firefighter Braves Vermont Floodwaters To Save Lives

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Taking a break Wednesday from rescuing Vermont flood victims by boat, Southington Fire Department firefighter Lt. Daniel Comen recounted one woman's horrific ordeal.

On Monday, he said, the woman was in her mobile home in Middlesex, Vt., right by a river. The water was rising fast as the clouds opened up a torrent of precipitation.

Comen said she was in the middle of a cloudburst that saw 8 to 10 inches of rain fall in the span of a day, something no community can really prepare for.

In fact, Comen said the water was rising so fast, rescuers couldn't get to her until the next morning, when the gushing currents barely allowed for a rescue attempt.

She had spent the night wedged on top of her kitchen cabinets as the water swept into her home, which somehow wasn't swept away itself.

"The water was up to the window sills," Comen, 31, a Wallingford resident said Wednesday.

A steady deluge of record-braking rain has resulted in devestating flood damage in the northern New England state, with homes destroyed and downtowns flooded out.

Comen said locals recounted floods associated with Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, but nothing as bad as what's happening now — and this wasn't even a tropical system.

"That's what is odd about this thing," he said Wednesday. "It wasn't a tropical system."

For the past seven years, Comen, a career firefighters, has been part of Connecticut Task Force 1 (CT TF-1), an urban rescue unit comprised of members statewide.

Likening the unit to "mutual aid among the states," the task force can be called into action whenever trouble arises, either when a building collapses, floodwaters strike or someone becomes trapped.

He said Vermont officials quickly notified Connecticut and they were dispatched on Monday.

Comen said he expects to be working in Vermont for the next five to 10 days and, given the severity of what he is seeing, a longer stay is more likely. He and colleagues are rescuing everything from people to pets.

Comen said he's never seen a situation like what Vermont is going through in Connecticut.

"We haven't seen anything like this. It's different from traditional flooding from a hurricane," Comen said. "This is legitimate, swiftwater flooding where you have rising floodwaters."

The water he's traversing is contaminated with fuel oil, gasoline, sewage and debris and the boat he's operating in is in danger of damage. He said the situation "puts us in a bad spot."

Currently operating 20 minutes south of the Canada border, Comen said his unit works in 12-hour work periods at various staging areas throughout the state.

Rest is built into the schedules, but their workload depends on when their services are required.

And when they're called upon, rescuers know they are always in danger, no matter the amount of training and precautions taken.

That's because, Comen said, Mother Nature is really the boss.

"We are never comfortable because the water is in charge and unrelenting," Comen said. "We have to take calculated risks based on what the situation is."

So far, Comen said, the death toll in Vermont is small, only one recorded death, but he said he expects that to rise as time passes and the waters recede a bit.

"I imagine there will be more (deaths) once the waters come down," he said.

Southington Fire Department Chief Eric T. Heath, meanwhile, said he couldn't be more proud of his lieutenant.

"He’s a very capable fire officer with natural abilities, especially in the area of technical rescue disciplines. He has a valuable skill set as a swift water technician as well as an instructor," Heath said Wednesday.

"We’re happy that he is representing the Southington Fire department and CT TF-1 in assisting with the various rescue and support needs in Vermont."

For the Southington Fire Department Facebook page, click on this link.

For more information on Connecticut Task Force 1, click on this link.