Fred Potter is needed when Route 4 turns angry.
He’s a tow truck driver assigned to assist police and firefighters on one of the most dangerous roads in the state. Route 4, through the Chichester/Epsom/Northwood area, features two lanes running in opposite directions at highway speeds. Barriers do not divide the two sides.
Safety personnel and engineers have been trying to minimize the problem in recent decades, but traffic accidents and injuries and deaths continue.
Meanwhile, Potter continues to clean up these sometimes horrific scenes, once he gets the signal that police and firefighters have finished their safety procedures and investigation. He’s worked closely with people who are injured, both physically and mentally, and he’s seen death up close, too.
And always, says a woman who works with Potter and sees him every day, he conducts himself with class and compassion, which is why she nominated Potter to join the Hometown Hero family.
“Tensions and emotions are high and people are not at their best, and he is a calm and gentle presence,” said Katelyn Ryan, who works at Concord Tractor. “People are upset, maybe they have their car in a ditch, and he’s like, ‘We got it, no problem.’ He gets it out and he gets it onto the truck and away he goes.”
Potter delivers and picks up tractors for Concord Tractor. He’s run his own towing service since 1988.
He’s a Deerfield native, a 1982 graduate of Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, the man police in Chichester and Epsom call to pull vehicles out, haul them away, and hold them steady during an ice storm so rescue personnel can cut a victim free from the wreckage.
Also, he assists on 80 percent of the police calls from Allenstown. Plus, he works one shift a week for Pembroke.
In the past, he’s poured concrete foundations, was a truck mechanic and worked in a salvage yard. He could drive most anything, and if he didn’t know how, he’d figure it out.
“I haven’t found anything I can’t move,” Potter said. “Bulldozers, extractors.”
He’s seen a lot during his 33-year career. Route 4 has seen to that. Upon learning that Ryan had nominated him, Potter said, “I guess I’m the kind of guy who just does his job each day, and tries to do it well.”
Potter’s cool serves him well when he first arrives at the scene of an accident, before authorities have finished their work.
“I get there within 15 minutes and I wait for the signal from police,” Potter said. “I just kind of survey everything and figure out how I want to do things, how to roll something over.”
He continued: “I have worked with firefighters and cops for over 20 years and they know my capabilities. We’re like a team, and we work well together.”
Sometimes, team members leave the scene with snapshots that don’t fade easily. Potter has seen the worst-case emergencies, including the death of a little boy a few years ago.
“When that boy passed away, that has always stayed with me,” Potter said. “Anytime you do a fatal accident, they stay with you emotionally. You cannot unsee stuff.”
His wife, Bonnie, leads a support system at home that includes Potter’s dog, Lulu, and Bonnie’s dog, Layla. Both are 12-pounds, a mix of chihuahua and dachshund.
“You suck it up on one of those bad days and you do what you need to do,” Potter said. “At the end of the day, my wife gives me a hug, I pat my dog and it’s all better.”
He’s not ready to retire. He’s 57, but says sometimes, he feels older.
“My shoulders and my knees say I am not a young puppy,” Potter said. “It’s very physical. It’s very tough work.”
In more ways than one.