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Floods of 2008 On June 12th & 13th, 2008, The Polk City Fire Department was put to the test. SANDBAG (literally)! Due to the recent flooding and high water in the Saylorville Reservoir, the wastewater treatment lagoons for the city had to be sandbagged. Failure to take this precautionary measure would lead to the possibility of raw sewage being forced to backup in the basements located in the lower lying properties of Polk City. Based on a recommendation from the Army Corp of Engineers, a joint coordinated action plan was established and executed. Fire Chief Jason Morse, functioned as the Emergency Management Coordinator for Polk City and Incident Commander for the duration of the event. Calls were made, equipment and supplies were purchased, hundreds of volunteers arrived, and family activities were put on hold. Chief Morse worked diligently with Public Works Director Mike Schulte, Police Chief Mark Bowersox, and Polk City Administration in order to execute this critical operation in a safe and timely manner. The first dump truck load of sand arrived around 1230 and the staff and volunteers wasted no time in getting down and dirty. Sandbag after sandbag was filled, tied, moved, thrown in a truck, moved again, and finally stacked. The process was very long, very hot, and very tiring. After approximately 14 hours of non stop operations, the job was put to a halt. The levee was built (so we thought) and everyone went home around 0200 early Friday morning. The next morning, Public Works Director Schulte shot the levee with a laser level, noticed several low spots, and made the unfortunate determination it was not high enough. Consequently, round two of sandbagging began around 1200. Operations were ramped back up, command staff was called into action, department staff was called in, and again the volunteers came out of the woodwork. After another eight hours, work on the sand pile and at the levee ceased. Operations were shut down around 2000 Friday evening and after 2 days, 650 plus tons of sand, over 750 volunteers, and 31,500 sandbags, the job was complete! The PCFD staff was committed to working nonstop to ensure not only a smooth running operation, but a safe operation as well. With all of the heavy machinery, hard work of volunteer help, and hot weather, the area of sandbagging operations was a simple misstep away from injury. Although building the levee of sandbags was our mission, the safety of the mostly volunteer worker force was our number one priority. We are pleased to report that throughout the entire event we only had one case of minor heat exhaustion. We would like to extend an extra special thank you to our close allies at The Ankeny Fire Department. Since the entire staff of the PCFD was committed to sandbagging operations, they covered our community with an Engine Company throughout the day of the 12th. Additionally they assisted us at the operation in caring for all of the workers and assuring they were staying fed and hydrated. We truly appreciated their contribution and close partnership! This enormous task would not have been completed without the help of all the volunteers, city staff, and the generous donations of local businesses and citizens. We truly thank everyone for all their help! Volunteers & Assistance
Donations, Equipment & Supplies
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