Last week's rainfall dumped over 6-inches of rain in two hours – for many it was devastating.
But while the rain was still falling, and shortly after it stopped, social media was alive with criticism of local, volunteer fire police.
Some folks couldn't wait to jump on their keyboards and slam those who are tasked with responding to emergencies. Unfortunately, social media posts are shared or copied and pasted to other accounts and reposted, sometimes as fast as they were originally posted, and will be read by many people and remain a part of the poster's history for a long, long, time.
The urge to react to the postings with similar criticism to the authors is normal but the need to educate them is stronger.
The primary responsibility of the fire police at emergency calls is to secure the scene – keep the public away from the danger and allow emergency services to address the danger.
Sometimes that means closing roads and diverting traffic away from the scene. The alternative is to stack up traffic, possibly creating a situation where emergency personnel cannot get to the scene.
Unfortunately, there is just not enough volunteer fire police to both secure the scene and send out "scouts" to determine if diverted traffic will run into another traffic problem in another area. They will only know when a call is made and the radio dispatcher sends help to that spot.
I wonder how many inconvenience drivers called 911 to report a problem on the route they were diverted too.
Instead of staying at home, tending to their own personal storm-related emergency, the volunteers were out working in the community. A big "tip of the hat" to those who serve.
When a "flood warning" is issued, it's best to try and stay off the roads but if you must travel, be prepared for what to do and where to go. After all, everybody wants to get home – even the volunteer emergency service people.
We have many new residents in our community, and many that haven't lived here very long.
One way to prepare yourself is to take advantage of the scenery in and around your community on a nice day. Take a drive on a weekend and tour the area. Go places you've never been and travel roads you never traveled. Do it even if you're just going out shopping. While you're enjoying the ride, you'll be learning different ways to traverse the area and seeing spots that could present trouble during heavy rains.
Knowing how to get around in times of emergencies will help your stress level during those periods and keep volunteer emergency service workers from being disrespected on social media.
They say "patience is a virtue" and knowing how to react during emergencies, can help you stay virtuous and maybe allow you to pause and gather your thoughts before you hit the keyboard.