Fayette EMS aids New Jersey hurricane victims
Fayette EMS personnel returned home Wednesday after spending several days in New Jersey communities aiding fellow first responders with evacuations and other emergencies.
The local five-member team was a part of the state Department of Health Region 4 EMS Strike Team that was deployed to various areas hit by Hurricane Irene over the weekend.
Jason Hayes, FEMS special operations chief, said that the call for volunteers was made Saturday as the hurricane struck the East Coast and began its path toward New Jersey.
The Region 4 volunteers, along with a variety of equipment, gathered in Harrisburg to await further orders.
“At that point we didn’t know what we were going to be called upon to do,” said Hayes. “All we could do was wait.”
New Jersey was the first in need and when an official request for help was made, Hayes and the strike teams were dispatched to the Atlantic City area.
“We were doing operations, such as evacuations from personal care homes to shelters,” he said.
As they prepared to return to Connellsville, a request for assistance was made from northern communities suffering from massive flooding.
“All the emergency crews were in need of help,” said Hayes. “One (company) had lost its building in the flood and had no ambulances to answer their 911 calls.”
A command center was established by the Pennsylvania team in the Mansville area to help the New Jersey crews and allow them some “down time,” as they had been responding to emergency calls around the clock, said Hayes.
“(Tuesday) morning, just as we were getting a chance to lie down, the commander came in and said ‘we have to go,’ and so we headed to Paterson, N.J., with five ambulances, he said.
According to New Jersey news services, Paterson, located along the Passaic River, was one of the hardest hit communities.
“Flooding hit the entire town,” said Hayes.
Initially, the team was to supplement the local ambulance companies and answer 911 calls as those more familiar with the area responded to calls for evacuations.
Instead, they helped with the removal of several individuals from a flooded housing complex.
In one instance, said Hayes, an emergency patient on the 16th floor of the building had to be carried down by a hand-chair to an awaiting ambulance because elevator electrical service had been shut down.
“We had our hands full,” he said, adding that the locals expected the residents to be able to return by the end of the week.
The New Jersey first responders were all very grateful for the timely assistance, said Hayes, and offered to respond in-kind, if ever needed.
“We helped our neighbors that are now considered friends,” he said.
With Hayes, other local responders included Steve Rugg, John Rulli, Josh Hodgekiss and Jim Hammacker.