Posted on 09/03/2005 12:10:48 PM PDT by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA - The city Fire Department is sending four of its own to help out the Gulf Coast region, which Hurricane Katrina laid waste upon this week.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday requested that the U.S. Fire Administration mobilize 1,000 two-person teams from across the country.
The Fry Fire District awaits confirmation from Homeland Security to proceed after it also organized a two-member team.
On Friday, Gary Jones and Jodie Ryan, both firefighters and emergency medical technicians with the Fire Department, packed for their trip.
The city's second team on its way to the emergency in the Gulf Coast region is paramedic Bob Fields and firefighter/EMT Chris Davila.
The Fry Fire team plans to send engineer/EMT Ben Keating, a former U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant with 15 years of service at the Fry District, and paramedic Luis Cañez.
"They'll be able to survive out there," Fry Fire Chief Bill Miller said. They were picked for their toughness, he said.
Fry Fire sent in its request to respond early Thursday morning.
"We can't deploy by ourselves, we have to wait for federal authority," Miller said, as stipulated by the federal guidelines.
Twelve of the Fry Fire personnel volunteered immediately, but they have sent only one request, with a backup two-person team named if the need arises.
At the Sierra Vista Fire Department, eight people requested to take the trip, but Chief Bruce Thompson said only four men could be spared by the department.
As of Friday morning, city administrators were "trying to make arrangements to get to Atlanta, where the FEMA process begins. And as soon as we get that done, they'll be on their way," Thompson said.
FEMA's acceptance of Sierra Vista's requests to respond was in Thompson's home e-mail Friday morning.
FEMA's travel agent was understandably overwhelmed following the nationwide request for fire personnel, but Thompson anticipated the two teams to be in flight to Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport shortly. "If not today, it'll certainly be some time this weekend," he said Friday.
Once in Atlanta, the local teams will be briefed, inoculated and given whatever necessary equipment they do not have.
"We're going to be short. We're going to incur some overtime" Thompson said of the absence of the two Sierra Vista teams. But, he added, "Our city manager has blessed us."
Thompson said he asked the team members to take a journal and document their experiences on their expedition, so they may give a report when they return home.
The Sierra Vista Fire Department is also a drop-off station for donations of only hygiene items, water, first aid kits, blankets towels, at the request of World Care.
The American Red Cross and World Care also are actively seeking monetary donations, and donation checks can be made out to either organization, and can be dropped off at any city facility. These checks will be turned over to the aid organizations, however, the city cannot accept cash or credit card donations.
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