ASHLAND, KY (WOWK) — An Ashland, Kentucky firefighter is back home after joining recovery efforts from last month’s condo collapse outside Miami, Florida.


Ashland firefighter assists in Florida condo collapse recovery

Ashland Fire engineer Todd Selvage is a member of Ohio Task Force 1, one of many search and rescue teams from around the world called in to assist with the Surfside, Florida condo collapse recovery effort. It was a mission few members of Selvage’s unit had experience in.

There was probably only about seven or eight guys on the task force I was with in ohio that was even around when something else happened like this.

Todd Selvage, Ashland Fire engineer

Todd Selvage and Ohio Task Force 1 working at the collapse site. Courtesy of Todd Selvage.

Selvage says one of the closest comparisons is the tragic 9/11 disaster. He goes on to say this disaster is on a much smaller scale, but “kind of resembled the same things” they saw while they were working.

Fortunately, Selvage received plenty of support from his community and his family which helped carry him on. He says he is glad to be back home and his family says they’re proud he was able to be a part of this nationwide recovery effort.

We know that he’s at the fire station every day and he’s always been a hero to us, but then to see it on national news it was just… I don’t even have words for it.

Tabatha Selvage, Todd Selvage’s wife

Selvage originally stated his main goal was to help the families of the victims find closure. A total of 97 people are confirmed dead and one is still listed as missing.

Selvage came home last weekend and was given 72 hours to rest both physically and mentally. He says he’s slowly getting back to his regular routine as a firefighter, a father, and a husband.

On Friday, first responders on the collapse site ended their search and were given a hero’s send-off.

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