OSAGE COUNTY — In the wake of the confirmed EF-2 tornado that hit Rolla last Friday night, Osage Ambulance District dispatched multiple crews to assist.

Osage Ambulance District EMS Chief Josh Krull, who also serves as the Regional EMS Mutual Aid Coordinator for Region F, said, “Initially, before knowing the full impact of the storm in Rolla, Osage EMS responded to a local EMS mutual aid request and dispatched an ambulance from Belle to assist. As additional reports of damage and calls began to come in, Phelps Health EMS activated EMS Mutual Aid, which then put into motion more resources toward Rolla.

“I responded to manage Regional EMS assets which included additional ambulances from Osage EMS, Cole County EMS and Miller County EMS,” Krull added. “Also responding to the incident were ambulances from Region D and Region I. In total, 14 mutual aid ambulances responded to Rolla to assist immediately following the tornado impacting the town.”

Krull said that, after he arrived on site, they realized that with the number of incoming ambulances soon arriving to assist, they would need to set up a staging lot.

“The Kroger grocery store was a suitable empty lot near the command post and ultimately where we set up the secondary EMS staging lot to run mutual aid EMS operations,” Krull said. “A ‘ready line’ was established and as calls would arrive, ambulances were dispatched from there instead of traditional means since the system was overwhelmed. Also from the staging lot, ambulances were utilized to assist fire units with grid searches of the town.

“This was one of the most smoothly-run operations I have ever been a part of,” Krull continued. “Everyone worked seamlessly together. Mutual aid units were utilized to let the local EMS units take a quick breather. Once the initial influx of calls had subsided and grid searches had been completed, all mutual aid units were released, and Phelps EMS was ready to resume normal operations. This incident is really a model of how disaster response and EMS mutual aid are supposed to work.”

A report from the National Weather Service confirmed, “An EF-2 tornado with peak winds of 120 mph started 4 miles SE of Doolittle and tracked northeast through southeastern portions of Rolla. The tornado crossed I-44 before lifting just south of Little Prairie Conservation Area. The tornado damaged several homes with one person injured. Significant roof damage was noted to some homes. Multiple schools and businesses also sustained roof damage with several plate glass windows (blown) out.”

Osage Ambulance District was not the only local agency to provide mutual aid.

Linn Fire Chief Ron Hoffman said that the statewide fire mutual aid coordinator called him at 3:30 Friday afternoon to request the availability of brush strike-force crews to respond to Camdenton for six separate larges brush fires. Hoffman coordinated with other local fire chiefs and found two crews available to be sent. One crew from Belle and another from Linn deployed to Camdenton 45 minutes later. The remaining fire resources in the county stayed at their stations to support possible calls through the evening.

At 10:45 p.m., the statewide fire mutual aid coordinator called Hoffman again for the availability of engine strike teams to go to Rolla to assist with the tornado’s aftermath. One crew was assembled to deploy, but was placed on standby. That engine crew did not deploy through the night, and the request was canceled by morning.

In his report to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Hoffman, who is also the Osage County 911/EMA Director, indicated that the Osage County 911 call center received numerous calls for service after the heavy winds reached Osage County. 

“Between 1630 hours and 2130 hours, units from all fire agencies responded to a total of 98 calls,” Hoffman wrote. “58 of those calls were storm-related. Seven brush fires, six downed power lines (one across the roadway), seven calls for debris in roadway, numerous county road blockages, and other various call types. Citizens were out assisting fire crew where they could, great assets to the community. Linn Fire responded to a brush fire that was moving across three structures. The fire claimed two farm structures and did involve part of the home but was immediately extinguished by first on scene firefighters.”

Meta Fire reported the loss of electric in the area. Eight-tenths of an inch of rain were recorded in Linn during the weather event.

Hoffman said it is unknown exactly how many calls the center received, due to “numerous phone calls by the same callers asking where responders were or what the weather is doing or what is going on county road.”   

“This is a great opportunity to remind citizens that, once reported, know the responders are coming,” Hoffman said. “ In this case, there were widespread calls for service already going on. Please don’t call again unless you have an update. If you can help by checking to see if a real emergency or concern exists without risking personal safety, please do so. Volunteer firefighters and resources can be tasked beyond their capacity very quickly when they are split up between two or three calls.  Check out the situation to verify if it is an emergency before calling.”

In a statement to the press, Gov. Mike Kehoe called the situation, “Armageddon for first responders,” citing not only storm damage, fires, power outages, auto accidents, and fatalities, but looting as well. Kehoe said that at one point, between midnight and 4 a.m., there were 150 fires. SEMA had reports of over 130 wildland fires on Friday, some of which damaged homes and structures.

Initial reports indicated there were up to 19 tornadoes of varying strengths that impacted 25 counties in the state; however, Gov. Kehoe later stated that over 27 counties sustained significant damage. A March 16 statement from Gov. Kehoe said there were 12 confirmed fatalities, with one person still missing.

“Hundreds of homes, schools, and businesses have been either destroyed or severely damaged,” the release noted. “At the height of the storm, more than 140,000 homes and businesses were without power, and 101 roads were closed due to debris, flooding, and structural damage.”

“The scale of devastation across our state is staggering,” said Gov. Kehoe. “While we grieve the lives of those lost, we are also focused on action — getting power restored, clearing debris, and ensuring our communities have the resources they need to recover. The strength and resilience of Missourians are already on display, and we will be with them every step of the way.”