Escambia County employee Kelley Bradford went to work April 30, 2014. Her workplace – Central Booking and Detention Center – was flooded, and several of her co-workers complained of the smell of gas. While others chose to go home or not report for work, Kelley went to work in the property room.
Close to midnight, there was an explosion. Kelley and Corrections Officer Chris Hankinson fell through the floor into the dark, flooded basement. Instead of fleeing, Kelley called out to Chris and found he was paralyzed. For 45 minutes, she held his head above water, saving his life.
In February, Sheriff David Morgan honored by Kelley and Chris. Kelley worked for ECSO up until October 1, 2013 when the county took over the jail.
The Board of County Commissioners will honor Kelley on May 7. The following week, Kelley will be terminated. Her injuries have not let her return to her old job yet.
Of course this is the Cliff Notes version of the story (Read A Legacy of Trauma).
I believe that this hero deserves special consideration. The county needs to work with her and search for other solutions. I’ve asked those who agree that valor, courage and heroism should be honored to email the county administrator and the commissioners and ask for compassion for Kelley.
Kelley and Chris were injured due to no fault on their part. Their biggest mistake was going to work and trusting the county to provide them a safe workplace.
Those who made the litany of mistakes that led up to the explosion kept their jobs or were allowed to retire with full benefits. No county supervisor lost their job because of the explosion. However, Kelley will.
The litany of mistakes:
- Rebuilding the laundry facilities in the basement of the CBD, after the same area flooded two years earlier.
- Not ensuring the gas dryers were bolted to the floor.
- Using the basement before the flood pumps were installed.
- Not calling Pensacola Energy when people smelled gas.
- Not cutting off the natural gas to the building.
- Not evacuating the building when the gas odor persisted.
The people who made the decisions were sleeping in their beds with the CBD exploded.
Let county officials know how you feel. Ask them to show compassion for a hero. Use for the subject line: Compassion for Kelley
County Administrator Jack Brown jrbrown@co.escambia.fl.us
Commissioners:
Wilson Robertson district1@co.escambia.fl.us
Doug Underhill district2@co.escambia.fl.us
Lumon May district3@co.escambia.fl.us
Grover Robinson district4@co.escambia.fl.us
Steven Barry district5@co.escambia.fl.us
