Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/328668
22 FIRST CLASS F ew trucking companies can say that lives depend on the per- formance of their fleet. But Tad Agoglia can. Agoglia is the founder and hands-on leader of First Re- sponse Team, a non-profit heavy-equipment operation that specializes in key elements of rescue and relief efforts. First Response's area of expertise is opening roads and access to stricken areas, so that ground-based rescue operations can mobilize. If a weather event or disaster of some kind makes na- tional news, First Response is likely on its way there, or there al- ready. A three-week stretch this past spring saw Agoglia and crew driving their U.S.-based fleet of three Peterbilt trucks to Rhode Island (flooding), Alabama and Mississippi (tornadoes), Mem- phis (flooding) and Nashville (flooding). "The first task is just making it possible to get into these sites," says Agoglia. "We remove the obstacles." Never is there a typical job. Agoglia takes his cues from contacts at The Weather Channel and if a weather disaster appears immi- nent, he often begins mobilization before a storm even strikes. But for the most part, he has no clue where he's headed next. He often knows the scope of the disaster only once he sees it, first-hand. In the end, he counts his successes not in profits, but in lives saved, both directly and indirectly. And amid the chaos of the disaster scene, Agoglia occasionally takes a moment to pull his phone from his pocket and pound out a brief text message, to a man and a company. "We just saved a life," it might say. "The only thing I can think of to say right now… is thank you." Donated equipment To understand where that message was directed, one must step back to mid-2009, as Agoglia pulled into the Peterbilt deal- ership in Richmond, Va. He had recently committed the resources of his profitable disaster-cleanup contracting operation to start- ing First Response, knowing full well he'd be giving up a reliable income, but also knowing that he'd be free of bureaucratic ob- stacles and could literally save more lives. But an aging truck — and a sense of the huge responsibility he was assuming — made an equipment upgrade vital. "We really push this equipment," he says. "Sometimes there are massive I-beams to be moved, or huge trees, and you are very aware of the responsibility you have as a first-team member. "If this equipment breaks down, someone could die." Agoglia became convinced a used, heavy-spec Peterbilt truck would best serve his needs and budget, and engaged a sales rep- resentative at the Richmond dealership in a discussion about price and availability. After learning about Agoglia's application, the rep asked if he could return when dealer principal John Ar- scott would be back in the office, and he might get a better deal. Agoglia came back to meet Arscott and what happened next was "a very unexpected chain of events," according to Agoglia.. An Awesome Responsibility First Response Team measures successes in lives "If this equipment breaks down, someone could die..."