Magoffin Rescue Squad captain dies from COVID
MAGOFFIN COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – A long-time captain who helped organize the Magoffin County E-911 system in 1994 has died of COVID-related causes.
The Magoffin County Rescue Squad announced the death of Capt. Carter Conley, whose call number was 101, in a social media post. He died Sunday afternoon.
Conley had been vaccinated but caught the virus and despite what friends called a “valiant fight,” died Sunday afternoon.
He helped found the rescue squad in 1974 and had been with it since then.
His death drew condolences from across the county, especially among those who had worked with him and the hundreds of lives he’d touched.
“He worked with local leaders to secure grants, schedule the required trainings for the newly hired 911 dispatchers, and acted as a guardian over 911 during its formative stages. He was available to the new staff 24/7, and we took advantage of his knowledge about the county and his emergency response expertise at all hours of the day and night. He never refused to give us sound direction,” the Rescue Squad said in its post.
“I was one of the first five dispatchers hired in 1994 to operate Magoffin County 911, so I have worked with Carter from the very beginning. Over 26 years, I have called on him countless times and at all hours, and he never once refused my call. He responded to every call we toned the him out on. Calls that ranged from horrific accidents, floods, ice storms, tornadoes, motorist assists, delivery of medications in bad weather, and many others. They all mattered to him… the people of Magoffin County mattered to him.
“While Carter is no longer with us, his legacy lives on in every Rescue Squad member, in every dispatcher, and fire department members, because we remember the love he had for you, Magoffin County, we saw his example of service to you, and that inspires us to keep on serving, just as he served for so long.
“To Carter’s family, we thank you for sharing him with us all. We know that this was a great sacrifice, and no easy task. If you need us, we are here for you, 24/7, just as Carter was here for us. To first responders among us, we can never replace what was lost, but let us try to make him proud. To the people of Magoffin County, we will all strive to continue to offer you the same care and commitment that Carter did for so many years. God bless us all we pray, in Jesus name, Amen. Rest east Magoffin Rescue, 101,” concluded Scott Jenkins with Magoffin 911.
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