Posted on 09/27/2005 4:37:58 PM PDT by SandRat
BELLE CHASSE, La. (NNS) -- Firefighters and Marines from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) New Orleans helped evacuate more than 60 people Sept. 24 from an area flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.
Eight firefighters and three Marines responded to a call for assistance from the Lafitte Volunteer Fire Department. The call was placed early that morning when water from the nearby bayou started flooding the small community, which is located approximately 25 miles southwest of New Orleans.
Two fire engines, a military humvee, and a seven-ton transport vehicle were sent with the team to help evacuate local residents to nearby shelters. Due to the heavy rains and surge from the storm, up to eight feet of water swamped the small town.
Fire Chief Ruben Perez received the initial call and arranged for authority from Navy Region South and NAS JRB Commanding Officer Capt. A. J. Rizzo to send assistance. The team was dispached in less than an hour.
Perez, one of the many firefighters augmenting the NAS JRB Fire House from military facilities throughout Navy Region South, Navy Region Northeast, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, and Navy Region Southwest, said such assistance is normal. "Fire services always have mutual aid agreements to assist each other in times of need like this," he said.
The responders split into three teams to cover various locations. One team set up a command post on the opposite side of Bayou Barrataria from where inital recovery efforts were in progress. This team offered transportation out of the flooded areas and ensured the safety of local residents.
A second team went to an area south of Lafitte to help with evacuations from the hardest hit area. This team used the seven-ton transport to evacuate more than two dozen residents to local shelters.
The third team set up near the Kerner Bridge to assist people who were being evacuated from the flooded area by boats. Many of these people were elderly, and the firefighters and Marines physically carried them to transport vehicles. The firefighters also responded to an emergency call in the area to help a man suffering a diabetic siezure. They were able to stabilize the victim until paramedics arrived.
The three teams continued to assist local firefighters for more than eight hours. It was an intense time, but Assistant Fire Chief Pat Power was proud of his team's response to the crisis.
"These guys responded very professionally to this emergency," said Power. "Their performance was in the highest tradition of the fire service."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.