Tribute to Brown County first responders

This story is part two of the “Tribute to Brown County first responders” series by Wade Linville (editor of The News Democrat, The Ripley Bee, and The Brown County Press).

As a youngster growing up in Georgetown, Joe Rockey already knew he would one day be a firefighter in his community.

He grew up just across the street from the old Georgetown Firehouse and his father, the late Louis “Dickie” Rockey, was a volunteer on the Georgetown Fire Department for nearly 50 years, serving as assistant fire chief.

As a fire department cadet in 1989, when the fire whistle in town would sound the teenage Joe Rockey and his brother, Darrell, would rush to the end of the street to see which fire truck was heading out of the station.

“Every time we would hear that fire whistle we would run to the end of Powers Avenue. We knew if the Ford truck went that the call was in town, but if the GMC truck went out, it was an out-of-town fire,” Joe Rockey recalled.

For the Rockeys, serving on the fire department has become a family tradition.

Preparation to become a Georgetown firefighter started at an early age for Joe Rockey, eager to begin helping others in his community in their times of need.

“When a lot of other kids were cruising around town, we were hanging out at the firehouse,” Joe Rockey recalled his teenage years.

When turning 18 years of age in 1991, he attended the firefighter training academy in Columbus and became a certified firefighter, soonafter starting as a volunteer for the Georgetown Fire Department.

For nearly 20 years, Joe Rockey has served as the Georgetown Fire Department chief, a busy department that went full-time around five years ago.

Rockey recalled his years as a young firefighter, and how much has changed in his many years as a first responder.

“It was different. Back then, we rode on the back of fire trucks, you didn’t ride inside the cabs,” said Rockey. “And you didn’t have bunker pants back then, you just had these long boots.”

“It was fun. My brother was here (at the fire department) and our friends we hung out with were firefighters back then, and we went to the fire academy with our friends,” Rockey said. “In some ways it was almost more fun back then.”

“Now when we’re going to a fire, when you get off the truck you have your tools and your mask and everything on. Back in the day when you rode on the back of the truck, our truck only had two air packs, so if there were six of you on the truck four of you didn’t have air packs. You just had to hold your breath for a really long time,” said Rockey. “You didn’t have any of the conveniences back then that you have today.”

No longer does the village of Georgetown rely on a whistle to alert of a fire, now operating with Multi-Agency Radio Communications (MARCS-IP) to significantly improve response time and communications among firefighters.

“Back then, the only person that had a radio was the officer of the truck. We’re riding on the back and there was no way to communicate to the two guys sitting up front. So if you fell off, they didn’t know until they got to where they were going,” Rockey explained.

“It wasn’t uncommon back then to go into a fire and not have a radio to communicate to the outside world what was going on,” Rockey added. “Today, everyone has a radio and everything is so much better.”

Everything from the way they communicate to the protective gear they use, much has improved for local firefighters over the years. And the need for firefighters and EMTs in Brown County and the surrounding area has grown.

In addition to being a certified Firefighter II and serving as the Georgetown Fire Department chief, Joe Rockey is also an EMT, a certified emergency vehicle training instructor, and a fire inspector.

He also worked for 28 years at Rumpke while serving as a volunteer chief with the Georgetown Fire Department/EMS.

He became full-time chief with the fire department when the department became full-time.

What he enjoys most about his career as a first responder is getting the opportunity to save lives and assist others in stressful times.

“It’s when you go on an EMS call and they are having a diabetic emergency, we can start a line and give them D50, and they go from totally unresponsive to five minutes later sitting up in the chair talking to you,” said Rockey. “Or if it’s a MI (myocardial infarction) and we either ground transport them to the cath lab at Anderson or we fly them there, and four days later you see them walking around town after they’ve had a stent put in. Unfortunately, a lot of the calls we go on don’t end well, but a lot of them do. That’s what makes it worth it, the positive outcomes.”

Looking back on his many years as a first responder, one call that often comes to mind is an incident that took place on Nov. 10, 2014 involving Georgetown teenager Kilee Brookbank. Brookbank suffered burns on 45 percent of her body when a gas leak caused an explosion in her home. She was knocked unconscious by the explosion but was awoken by her barking dog, and then ran outside where she was helped by neighbors. Brookbank was taken to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Cincinnati where she received treatment for nearly 40 days, followed by extensive physical therapy. Her story has been an inspiration to many, as she went on to author the books Beautiful Scars and Digger the Hero Dog in addition to starting the Kilee Gives Back Foundation with help from her family.

“It’s a miracle she’s here today,” Rockey said. “That call stands out in my mind, and to see how well she’s doing today (makes you happy).”

Joe Rockey has enjoyed serving with some longtime first responders during his years with the Georgetown Fire Department/EMS, including Ronnie Griffith who recently retired after serving as a volunteer firefighter for more than 50 years.

“The knowledge he had can’t be replaced,” Rockey said of Griffith, noting the great pride he took in being a volunteer firefighter. “He was active until the day he retired.”

Larger villages in Brown County have full-time departments with career opportunities available, and while a career as a first reponder isn’t for everyone, it may be the career for you.

“This is a great career to get into,” Rockey said of a career as a local firefighter/EMT.