As Hurricane Irene begins to make its way up the east coast of the United States, the IAFC is alerting its members to resources that may assist local fire chiefs in their effort to prepare for, respond to and recover from the storm.
Go Teams
The Go Teams are highly skilled chief officers who will work with peers, allied agencies and elected officials at any level of government to help in the organizational response and recovery after significant emergencies and catastrophic events. Two-person Go Teams are available in each of the 10 FEMA regions.
To request assistance, call toll-free:1-888-840-6884.
Model Procedures for Response of Emergency Vehicles During Hurricanes and Tropical Storms
These procedures provide guidance to chief officers in establishing a policy for response during hurricanes and coastal storms to minimize the risk to fire/EMS personnel and to protect the human, physical and cyber infrastructure critical to safeguard a community before, during and after a storm. This guidance provides a common framework on which departments may build a local protocol tailored to a specific community.
CDC Emergency Response Resources Storm/Flood and Hurricane Response
The Centers for Disease Control and Protection offer a comprehensive resource page concerning health and occupational safety issues surrounding hurricanes. This site contains a wealth of information on health and injury-related threats to both responders and the public common to hurricanes and thier aftermath.
Resources to help your community prepare also are available online.
Fire departments not directly in the storms path, should also prepare for possible weather events related to the storm or calls for assitance, and be vigilent for any changes in the projected path. The National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center provides regular reporting.
All fire departments are reminded to not self-deploy. If you are willing and able to provide assistance, please coordinate those efforts through the appropriate incident dispatch channels.
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