Three firefighters from Collierville Fire & Rescue have joined three City of Millington firefighters on a rescue mission. 

Lieutenant Jimbo Hunsucker, Lieutenant Clay Blair and Lieutenant Jake Lock of Collierville were briefed by Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) on the morning of Friday, June 28 at Millington’s Fire Station 2 before departing for New Mexico. The request for help came through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid agreement among states and territories of the United States that enables states to share resources during natural and man-made disasters. The initial request was for two Type 3 Swiftwater Teams to report to New Mexico Emergency Operations Center in Santa Fe to assist victims of flash flooding in the state. Madison County Fire Department is also sending a team. 

A Type 3 Swiftwater Rescue Team consists of six Rescue Technicians and boats. Collierville’s team is taking a metal boat and two inflatable rescue boats.    

The team was reassigned to the Village of Ruidoso, a tourist area in the mountains of southern New Mexico. Ruidoso has been devastated by two wildfires followed by rain and flash flooding over the last few days, leaving whole neighborhoods destroyed and many without power. The Collierville – Millington Swiftwater Team will receive their operational orders there.  

Collierville Fire Chief John Selberg said the team arrived in Ruidoso on Saturday, June 29. They have supplies to last at least seven days, which is the initial planned operational timeline for the trip. Selberg said the supplies include meals-ready-to-eat (MREs), water, tents, costs, and portable toilets. 

  “They’ve been advised that they probably won’t have any support, so they must be completely self-sufficient, said Selberg. “I am proud of our people stepping up to assist.” 

Collierville’s firefighters are members of the Region 9 Swiftwater Team, which is credentialed by the state. The team is comprised of personnel from Collierville, Millington, and Germantown Fire Departments.