Just off Hunter Street in Apex, team members at Fire Station No. 3 wait for more than just a regular call to hit the trucks.
Gracie George has been an Apex firefighter for five years. She’s also been part of the swift water rescue team for three.
On Wednesday, George showed ABC11 all the equipment they would use if they were sent out to the western part of the state. The boat, the motors, the gear.
Western North Carolina is expected to feel the heaviest wrath from Hurricane Helene . Gov. Roy Cooper has declared a State of Emergency ahead of the storm.
Water rescues can be trickier than fighting normal fires.,
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“The water, there are so many unknowns with it,” George said. “Anyone on a team would probably tell you it’s the most dangerous thing we do. We can train and learn fire and things like that but with the water, there’s so many unknowns you have to be well aware what you’re going into and rely on your training.”