As a firefighter Emma Atcherley said she expects to come across distressing incidents every day, but no amount of experience could prepare her for the scenes she saw in February this year.
"The noise was incredible with the sound of sirens 24-hours a day as ambulances rushed around and diggers worked everywhere," the 43-year-old from Bedwas said. "The air was absolutely filled with dust and the people you came across were clearly in shock, upset and distraught. As time went on the smells started to change as people died in the rubble. It was sombre and frantic with emotions ranging from people being incredibly happy and thankful to us for saving their loved ones, to being so upset that we couldn't help them because their loved ones had already died."
A member of the fire service for nearly 20 years, Emma is currently a crew manager with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service based in Cardiff. Since 2019 she has also volunteered her skills with the United Kingdom International Search and Rescue Team (UK-ISAR), a group of firefighters and specialist personnel from across the UK who respond to humanitarian accidents or disasters on behalf of the UK Government.
