Desoto Fire Department Rescue Family

DESOTO –– At 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Rosalind Smith was disoriented and her house was on fire.

“When I was awakened, all I saw was smoke and noise,” she said.

It took her a minute to realize her home on Mantlebrook Drive was ablaze, as seen in video captured by firefighters dash camera. DeSoto Fire was already outside, preparing to go in and save Smith and her family.

“When you find out someone is still in the home, it enhances the severity of the problem in the situation going on,” said Interim Fire Marshal Brian Parker.

He says in the last year, DeSoto fire worked to improve their search and rescue tactics. Smith feels she, her husband and son are proof that it worked.

“They woke up to the firefighters breaking into the house, to see if they were there and to put the fire out,” said Parker.

“The fire guy grabs me up –– by now I see my son coming from this way and my husband coming down the hall, so was a lot of chaos,” said Smith.

But through it all, DeSoto Fire managed to keep the flames isolated to the back of the home, and to protect the Smith’s most valuable possessions: each other.

“We hate the Smith’s home was damaged, but we’re so proud, so glad that they’re alive and well,” said Parker.

The Smiths will stay with family and in a hotel until their home is repaired.

“I’m mad, I’m sad, I’m grateful, I’m thankful, to still be alive all these things to me to be replaced,” said Smith.

Her gratitude for DeSoto fire runs deep.

“Without them, we wouldn’t have made it out of this house,” she said.

Investigators say the fire started near the garage and the family truck. They have yet to release the cause of the fire.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/DeSoto-firefighters-rescue-family-from-burning-home-227145391.html

countyfiretactics

Curt Isakson is a 35 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a Junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.

Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief and been assigned to operations, training, inspections, and was Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates County Fire Tactics that covers a very diverse range of fire service topics, as well as Firefighter Rescues, a site that documents rescues made by firefighters around the country.

He has annual contracts with numerous departments to provide standardized monthly training for these departments that respond daily together under an automatic aid agreement. Curt teaches nationally to include; FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC, COBC, WOTF, CFT ODP on Pensacola Beach. He is a Florida Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Inspector, Arson, and FLUSAR.

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