Mississippi National Guard soldiers are back in Florida helping out for the second time in two weeks after the state was hit by another hurricane. And this time they’ve been joined by some firefighters from the Mississippi coast, who deployed to Florida as a strike team to assist fire departments in the hardest-hit areas….
“This is a 22-person team of firefighters, travelling with five engines, fire trucks..”
That’s Malary White at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency…
“They should be deployed for about 15 days. That deployment can always get shortened if they’re not needed,” she says.
One of the firefighters sent to a staging area in Ocala, Florida is Harrison County Fire and Rescue Chief Pat Sullivan…
“We were tasked to come to this location to be ready to go in any direction that they find they’re going to need firefighters.”
Sullivan says they can help the local fire departments in different ways…
“But primarily, I think they’re going to be wanting us to assist in protecting their citizens and giving their firefighters a chance to take a break maybe and go to their homes and take care of their home if that’s the case. But we’re here to do whatever they ask us to do,” Sullivan says.
There was never any hesitation from these firefighters about coming to Florida to help out after Milton…
Sullivan says, “All of us on the coast have received help from Florida many times during storms, and all we’re doing is paying it back. And in some cases, paying it forward because we know in the future we may be calling on them.”
Cindy Myers
October 16, 2024 at 5:41 AMWay to go Pat. Thank you all for your service.