Country Gazette
FRANKLIN -- Amidst a cacophony of shrill, ear-splitting warning alarms, a voice crackles across the radio waves connecting members of the Franklin Fire Department with each other like an invisible safety net.
"I need help! I got separated from my team! I need help!" the voice urges. "My air is low! Hurry, hurry, I need help!"
Standing outside the scene, Battalion Chief Chuck Allen receives the Mayday and takes immediate action, launching a four-person Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) to respond.
Within two minutes, members of the team are crawling through the active scene in full gear, doling out a safety line -- like breadcrumbs in Hansel and Gretel's forest -- blindly making their way toward their fallen brother.