Winfield Fire/EMS Department personnel were among the first responders sent to help in the immediate aftermath of the tornado that struck Andover on Friday.
Winfield Fire Chief Vince Warren said that Cowley County dispatchers received a call from Andover authorities on Friday night, requesting search and rescue aid. They relayed the call to the Winfield Fire Department, which sent five firefighters, a vehicle and a rescue trailer to help.
Warren said they staged in the Andover Dillons parking lot, and the Winfield unit was assigned to do secondary residential searches, following teams who had done an initial search to ensure residents were not trapped in their homes. The initial crew was relieved of their duties on Saturday morning and three more people from Winfield were sent. That crew was released a short time later Saturday and returned to Winfield.