In the wake of last year's Danversport explosion, says Danvers Chief James Tutko (left), department secretary Nancy Libby "kept the department running for a week."
(Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)
DANVERS - She wears no badge or gear. She doesn't slide down the pole or drive a fire truck.
But Nancy Libby, secretary to the Danvers Fire Department, reported for duty a year ago today when a chemical explosion devastated Danversport. She was on vacation, and had planned to spend her time preparing for Thanksgiving dinner the next day.
Instead, she arrived at fire headquarters on High Street about 4:30 a.m., less than two hours after the explosion at an ink and paint factory rocked her out of bed. Armed with two dozen bagels, she began setting up shop quickly. "The first thing I did was get the 40-cup percolator going," said Libby, 51, seated last week behind her desk in the glass-enclosed reception area. "I knew it was going to be a long day."
Over the next 18 hours, phones rang nonstop. She sent as many calls as she could to voice mail. When the system could take no more, she started jotting down names and phone numbers. News media called from as far away as New York. A steady stream of visitors dropped off cases of water, doughnuts, platters of cold cuts, and home cooking. The owner of the pizza shop across the street dropped in to offer "whatever you need," Libby recalled. "It was pretty much like that all day. The community just wanted to help."
Libby lives in Danvers with her husband, William, and three children, Megan, 21, William, 18, and Suzanne, 16. She's worked as a town secretary for seven years, the last three of which she's spent as the fire department's only secretary. She didn't think twice about cutting short her vacation.
"It just seemed like the right thing to do," said Libby, who smiles easily. "It was a lot bigger than a house fire."
The fiery explosion was the equivalent of a 10-alarm blaze. About 30 area fire departments provided help. Trucks from North Reading, Essex, Hamilton, and other towns rolled in and out of the station. Libby was there to make sure the firefighters felt welcome. When a few got stopped by the department's automatic doors, she opened the door for them.
"They were from further away than our normal mutual aid," Libby said. "It was just rolling along. All day, crews coming in, relieving people."
Since the blast, Danvers public safety personnel have piled up statewide salutes. Dispatchers and police received a special award in October from the Massachusetts Police Association. Firefighters were honored this month at the Massachusetts Firefighters of the Year Awards. All 51 members of the department received a Special Fire Marshal's Award. Chief James Tutko, Deputy Chief Kevin Farrell, and Captain Douglas Conrad, the commanding officer at the blast scene, received the Fire Marshal's Award for Excellence in Leadership.
Libby looked on with pride during the ceremony at Faneuil Hall in Boston, which was attended by Governor Deval Patrick. But Tutko regrets there are no honors for someone like Libby who responds in a disaster.
"There are no awards for secretaries," he said. "But if there were, Nancy would get one. She kept the department running for a week."
After Thanksgiving, Libby worked eight straight days. That Friday, she opened the first request for an incident report from an insurance company. On Sunday, as the first residents returned home, she processed 1,500 hours worth of overtime for firefighters.
"They earned it," said Libby, with familial pride. "I work with good people, who do good things, in a community that cares."
Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
