First Responders Form 'Second Family' In Wagoner County's First All-Female Emergency Response Team

When disaster strikes, several law enforcement agencies are often the first on the scene. During the 2024 Memorial Day weekend tornadoes, one response team looked a little different.

“It's pretty cool, girl power,” said Kay Meredith.

Girl Power is a common theme for one team with Wagoner County Emergency Management.

“We didn't even know,” Meredith said. 

The team of women didn't even know they were making history just by volunteering.

“It's kind of fun, especially hearing that we are the first female team. Never really expected that to ever happen, but it's super exciting,” said Emiliee Krehbiel. 

The team of five made up the first ever all female emergency response team in Wagoner County, and they believe possibly in the state of Oklahoma.

Their first-ever dispatch as a team happened in the spring of 2024 when a tornado hit.

“It passed through our county, and we got asked to go to Claremore, and then we moved from Claremore to Mayes, so once I got everybody back into our group, we all loaded everything up and took off to help,” said Billie Smith. 

For Krehbiel, it would be a shift she'd never forget because it was her first day on the job.

“It was very nerve-wracking but also super exciting. I'm kind of a 'go with it' person, so just doing things on a whim is kind of my normal, so like signing up and then being dispatched, I was like, 'OK, cool, we're doing it, this is fun,” said Krehbiel. 

Even though the women range in age and experience, they said their team felt more like a family.

“Even like outside of here, we still talk all the time, and we go to Christmases and Thanksgivings and birthdays. We're all a really close family,” Meredith said. 

There's even a mother-daughter pair on the team.

“It's amazing knowing that somebody's following up in my footsteps,” Smith said about her daughter.

“Helping people has always been something that I loved to do and being able to help my community and also other communities has just been amazing for me,” her daughter, Kaylie Treat, said. 

Whether it's helping the community, or each other, these ladies encourage anyone who is interested to give it a shot. “I just think it's a pleasure to be able to do it and I encourage other women to get out there and do it as well,” said Meredith. 

You can learn more about how to volunteer with Wagoner County Emergency Management on their website. 

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