A bit tense but eager to help hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, nearly 600 Illinois firefighters mobilized south of Champaign on Monday, then traveled convoy-style toward Baton Rouge for two weeks of service alongside other emergency workers.
The firefighters, with 36 engine companies, 10 ladder trucks and an array of support equipment, represented about 1.5 percent of the state’s fire service capability, said Jay Reardon, president of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, the statewide agency designed to respond to such emergencies.
Chicago and its suburbs were among the dozens of municipalities whose fire departments responded to New Orleans’ request for help, providing firefighters, paramedics, officers and support staff, he said. The Illinois caravan was expected to arrive early Tuesday, Reardon said.
“They will be providing basic fire, rescue and EMS [emergency medical service] for the duration of their deployment,” said Reardon, also fire chief for the village of Northbrook. “As situations evolve, if the water recedes, they’ll start to do a door-to-door search of properties.”
Because the firefighters and their command staff are coming from areas as far south as Carbondale, no community will suffer from a lack of adequate fire service in Illinois, he said.
“I think all states are being tapped for various needs,” he said.
The estimated cost to Illinois is $11.2 million, most of which will be reimbursed by the federal government, Reardon said.
Once in New Orleans, the Illinois firefighters will join public safety workers from California, Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, New York, Maryland, Kentucky and other states, said Sgt. Cathy Flinchumwith the Louisiana State Police.
She did not know how many firefighters were arriving from outside Louisiana, but said 714 out-of-state police officers and troopers–including a contingent from Illinois–will be on the scene.
On Monday, an advance team flew to Louisiana to locate a place for the Illinois firefighters to set up tents, in case no housing is available, Reardon said.
Fire Chief Ed Dubowski of Park Ridge, among those in the advance team, said the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 prompted the state to strengthen its emergency plans. Since then, the firefighters have mobilized forces through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System only three times, the most recent of which was to help Utica in the aftermath of the deadly tornado in April 2004.
“This is the biggest attempt to date,” Dubowski said, calling the New Orleans effort a “once-in-a-lifetime event.”
The firefighters weren’t too worried about doing their job in New Orleans, other than tackling a few unknowns.
“The big topic of conversation is snakes,” Dubowski said. “We’re not used to living in the bayou.”
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