August 29, 2006

Local firefighters head to Florida

       Four White River Township firefighters left Monday morning in case they are needed if Tropical Storm Ernesto hits Florida.  But the group could be sent home early if no state official asks for their help.  The firefighters, Capt. Mark Hart, Capt. Joe Settles and part-time firefighters Darryl Slevin and Dan Speer were sent south with Indiana Task Force 1, a federally funded group of emergency workers based in Indianapolis.

         Eighty Indiana firefighters and emergency workers were called to Florida by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is preparing for the impact of a hurricane, said Bill Brown, Indianapolis Fire Department battalion chief and task force coordinator.  No one can be sure if Ernesto will turn into a damaging hurricane that could knock down homes and flood roads. But Indiana emergency workers, along with 11 other groups in the country, are heading to Jacksonville, Fla., to be ready if they are needed, Brown said.

         At 5 p.m. Monday, Ernesto was over Cuba with winds of 40 mph, barely strong enough to be classified a tropical storm. However, meteorologists said the storm winds could reach 74 mph by Thursday, making Ernesto a hurricane. The southern tip of Florida was under a hurricane watch Monday.  "It's like a tornado. You don't know where or when it will touch down. FEMA is being very proactive since the lessons learned in (Hurricane) Katrina," Brown said.  Hart is preparing to work 12-hour shifts with a search-and-rescue team. If his group is called in to help, its job will be to rescue people who may be trapped in buildings or stranded in their homes or cars, he said.  Two busloads, four tractor-trailers and other vehicles were making the trip Monday, Hart said.  He planned to spend his bus ride reading a book, listening to music and drinking plenty of water, he said.  "I'm going to relax, stay hydrated and get some sleep. You just don't know what will happen," Hart said.  The group planned to arrive in Florida this morning, he said.  He could be gone for as few as four days or more than 10, depending on whether his team is called in for help and how much their services are needed, he said.  "We're just kind of doing the unknown right now," Hart said.

         Emergency workers must be accepted onto the task force and then take special training classes, Brown said.  At least eight employees of the White River Township Fire Department are members of Task Force 1, Battalion Chief Jim Engmark said.  The department will need to have other firefighters come in to cover their shifts, Fire Marshal Eric Brown said.  "We're just glad to be able to send someone down there to help," he said..  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)
  
   

---