Jim Hudson, Pest Control Technician, who joined our ranks as part of the PMA acquisition, is Captain for Phoenixville fire company station #66, and also holds the position of treasurer for the Mont Clare fire department. Through these associations, he had volunteered his time to go to Pearlington, Mississippi for a week in October. The West Hancock Fire and Rescue department is in constant need of firefighters to fill in since hurricane Katrina devastated the area. Many of their volunteers lost their homes and have moved, leaving the area short handed. Here are some notes from Jim’s most recent tour as a volunteer:

My self and four other Firefighters from the area stayed at the West Hancock Fire & Rescue Company for one week. Our mission was to cover all of their fire and rescue calls and also to cover any community service requests.

During the flood, part of Pearlington was eight feet under water. They were without utilities for two months. The Fire Company lost a lot of equipment including fire trucks as well their membership (about 95% having to relocate). I was talking to two members of the fire house - a husband and wife who also work for the county. They pretty much lost everything. One day after the flood, the husband was standing in line to get supplies like every one else is, only to be told that he could not receive any assistance because he was an employee of the county. There many other hardship stories. More than I wish to tell.

We arrived and met up with Chief Jones, and we were immediately dispatched on two calls–one for a car turned over in a ditch, and one other vehicle on fire. Both were at opposite ends of the interstate highway.

While there, we fought three woods fires, two car fires, one car turned over in a ditch, and a semi truck in a ditch. There were also about ten other miscellaneous calls. We were called out for a snake in a house (I didn’t go on that one). One of the vehicle fires was a state trooper’s car. Flames were about 20 to 30 feet high, and the officer thanked every one on the scene, even though his car was totaled.
Thank God one of the guys knew how to cook. It was good eating down here. That’s how the locals say it.

If you were to drive through this town and never knew a flood destroyed it, you would think it is a poor area of trailer houses and run down homes. Good news–they are rebuilding with the help of churches and other good will organizations.

Jim Hudson, Capt 66
Phoenixville Fire Dept.

Jim Hudson in Mississippi