First responders honored in Willard

WILLARD — Two simple words: Thank you. First responders were honored Monday morning at Willard High School for the work they did on a nursing home fire last month. It could have been much worse. A lightning strike caused a fire Jan. 19 at Blossom Healthcare nursing home, 370 E. Howard St., in Willard, causing extensive damage but no deaths and just one minor injury to a firefighter. All 63 residents were taken out safely with two taken to the hospital for precautionary measures. Willard Fire and Rescue Department Chief Joe Reiderman said 25 of his firefighters were on the scene and "right around 80 firefighters total," he said following the fire. "EMS ... you name it and they were here. We had everybody and their brother there. Too many people to thank." Monday morning he said it was a real team effort. "The team support was absolutely amazing," Reiderman said. "They evacuated 63 people and we moved them three different times and had everybody out of there within in six hours. That was pretty impressive. Pre-panning and all of that paid off. It worked out pretty well." "It was all hands on deck ... it worked out very well. It was organized chaos," EMA director Art Mead said. "I have seen a lot worse. It could have gone in so many directions." Two students spoke at the breakfast — senior FFA president Madie Hall and seventh-grader Elizabeth Hicks, a volunteer at the nursing home. "I'm here today to thank the first responders and bus driver who were playing a part in getting the residents of the nursing home to safety during the recent fire," Hicks said. "The people you saved are very dear friends of mine. I'd like to extend my sincerest gratitude to eacy of your. Your dedication to helping others in times of crisis is truly inspiring. "I'd also like to say thank you to the bus drivers for their willingness to step up and help out. Your kindness and patience in helping the residents board the buses and transport them to new facilities was greatly appreciated. "Finally, I'd like to thank all of your for your commitment to proctecting the lives of others. Your hard work and dedication is truly admirable and your efforts will not be forgotten. I am thankful to be here living in Willard with all of you." "We wanted to take this opportunity to express our sincerest gratitude to the first responders and bus drivers who participated in the safe evacuation of the residents of Blossom nursing home during the recent structure fire," Hall said. "The swiftness and professionalism of response from each person in this room was incredible. Firefighters not only from our local department but also surrounding departments along with our county emergency response teams and Willard Police did an incredible job containing the fire and evacuating residents. "We were also blessed to have bus drivers who immediately responded to the call to serve and helped transport the elderly residents to safety." After the breakfast first responders were taken into the school where they were treated like heroes as they followed the band through the hallways where they received cheers and high-fives from the students and teachers. "It was good," Willard FFA Adviser Tiffany Nuhfer said afterwards. "We really did not know how many to expect. ... Joe had mentioned there were eight other fire departments. We'll invite everybody and see what happens. "I just tell the kids what the plan is ... the kids handled it all. They do everything. It is easy for me." Nuhfer and high school teacher leadership adviser Jason Ratliff worked together on the project. "They were lucky it turned out like it did," Ratliff said. "We have leadership and FFA. We wanted to do something nice for them. This community pulled together and we wanted to do something for them." Willard Fire and Rescue Department was dispatched for a fire odor investigation at a Nursing Home Facility in the 300 Block of East Howard Street. Upon arrival, units found a working structure fire. Patients in the primary hazard area were moved to safe zones on the opposite side of the building. A neighboring church was set up as a temporary staging area for the 63 residents until they were transferred to other care facilities. Multiple E.M.S. agencies, County agencies, and the Willard City Schools assisted the nursing home staff with transferring the residents.