All Women Response Team active with Wagoner County Emergency Management

When disaster strikes teams of first responders are called in to assist with search and rescue operations, traffic control, life saving measures, or cleaning up after destruction. Often the first ones on the scene, these heroes work through the night and often go unnoticed. These responders work house to house, business to business, searching and clearing the premises to make sure everyone is okay.
 
During the tornadic storms that entered Rogers and Mayes Counties during the Memorial Day Weekend of 2024, a group of specialized, trained individuals were called to action. Along with several teams of the Oklahoma Disaster Task Force, members of Wagoner County Emergency Management were among the responders who stayed up late that night to help respond and perform search and rescue.

One team from Wagoner County looked a little different. This team of first responders was possibly the first, female-only responder team to deploy in the state of Oklahoma. Led by Captain Alecia Bennett, of Coweta, this team of four were called to assist in the search and rescue of victims impacted by the tornado strike near Pryor. The team consists of Kay Meredith of Stone Bluff and Emilee Krehbiel and Billie Smith, both of Coweta.
 
These women train every month preparing for when disaster strikes. Initially they may be deployed as storm spotters or called to shut down a road after a disaster. All have their respective duties. Meredith and Smith often run communications for a disaster, while Krehbiel prepares the team with proper equipment and oversight as the severe weather moves in. Bennett assists the volunteers in tracking and spotting the storm and updating command on a particular situation.

When their time is up and the women are called, they are trained and prepared to run operations in a moment’s notice. Bennett said her calling was working with teams.

“I enjoy volunteering and serving others,” said Bennett.  “The fact we ended up all being women was just circumstance. We were all in the office preparing for severe storms and just got all partnered together. Since then, it’s just been kind of our thing,” said Bennett. 
 
Meredith said plainly that volunteering is rewarding.

“Teaching people to be prepared during storms and keeping people safe is why I enjoy serving,” said Meredith.

The all women crew helps with strategy and provides a “cool dynamic” while the team provides a different perspective than the traditional all male teams. Meredith has been volunteering for five years and has enjoyed watching the department grow. She said it’s been “incredible to watch” and thanked the Wagoner County Emergency Management for allowing her to serve.
 
Smith has been volunteering with WCEM for over seven years. Her main role during disasters or any activation is dispatching. Smith captures the times the alerts come in and documents the responders’ activities for command to make better decisions.

“Females can do just as many things as the men can,” Smith said.

She enjoys showing others that females can take on just as much responsibility as the men when responding to a disaster. Smith said overall it’s a fun place to volunteer and likes to help people.
 
Krehbiel is a new volunteer. Her first call out was the Claremore/Pryor tornadoes. She said she recently started EMT school at the WCEM office and really got interested in emergency management. During one of the EMS classes, Krehbiel signed up to volunteer. She did not realize just a few days after signing up, she’d be called on to respond to a tornado outbreak.

Krehbiel said she enjoys working with everyone, but the all women team she works with now is “really empowering.”

“These ladies are very knowledgeable in this field,” Krehbiel said. “It helps we have a lot of fun too.”
 
Kaylie Treat, 20, also of Coweta is the daughter of Smith and has been around emergency management for over seven years.

“She just got brought to the call outs because she was me,” Smith said.

Treat is also assigned to the team and helps in special events and any responses needed.
 
“These volunteers are no different than our other male teams,” said Director Heath Underwood. “We are currently getting them all swift water rescue trained and missing persons trained so they can become more familiar in the type of calls this team may be deployed to.”

Since the initial formation of the team, the women have assisted in the Muscogee Nation Festival, the Porter Peach Festival, and are now preparing for the Coweta Fall Festival and winter weather.

“We have the best volunteers in the state, and this is just one example,” said Underwood.