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PTC firefighters help New Orleans search/rescue operations

By SALLIE SATTERTHWAITE
SallieS@Juno.com

“Please, no more Katrina.”

For those Americans who open their eyes each morning to clean homes, passable streets, good water, trees and gardens, reports of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is old news. But those whose lives are connected to the Gulf Coast cannot be faulted if they feel they are still living a nightmare.

The decisions they have to make: Relocate? Come home? Restore their beautiful communities? Abandon them?

Additionally, fire/rescue and police services have been stretched thin, their personnel exhausted. Many still have to see about their own families’ needs.

No one can make life choices for others, but cities can lend manpower and equipment to help restore utilities, allowing families to work out their futures without the added stress of rebuilding infrastructure.

Several firefighter/paramedics from the Peachtree City Fire & Rescue Department have gone to New Orleans to help, and one - Sgt. Chris Campbell - wrote and sent photos to The Citizen sharing some of their experiences with their Fayette County colleagues.

After nine days in New Orleans, Campbell wrote: “Four medics from the Peachtree City Fire Department were assigned to the Central GSAR [Georgia Search and Rescue] team that was deployed in St. Bernard Parish, La.”  

Sergeants Darryl Neese, Clint Murphy, firefighter/paramedic Royce Miller, and Campbell were quartered in Chalmette, “and we worked the entire county, which was 100 percent destroyed by a 20-foot wall of water.

“We relieved four other PTC medics on September 29,” Campbell continued. “Sgt. Jim Kretchman, and firefighter/paramedics Chad Matheny, Jeff Felmet, and Curt Ousley had been down in the region for 12 days. The area we searched was from very urban [neighborhoods] to remote fishing villages that were completely wiped from the face of the earth. Some of the pictures are from an afternoon off getting more supplies when we encountered a house fire in which we assisted our brothers from New Orleans.

“The entire area was covered in mud from one to four feet [deep]. It was in everything. The entire parish (‘county’ to most of us) was under 16 to 27 feet of water. All 32,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Nothing was spared. Every fire station in the parish was destroyed and not habitable.

“We found two bodies and searched approximately 4,000 structures while we were there treating numerous injuries to our GSAR team and civilians. These included a member of our military security team who was struck in the head by a low limb and partially avulsed his right ear.

“We searched for numerous other bodies, but were unable to find [them] due to heavy swamp conditions. We encountered snakes and small alligators every day, and sometimes small wild boar and bobcat.”

Fire Chief Stony Lohr said the temporary absence of four department employees put some strain on a department already understaffed, but because they had advance notice, they were able to juggle schedules and in some cases worked extra hours to cover Peachtree City. Those working extra hours said they considered this their way to contribute to the Gulf Coast disaster.

“We could do it because we had time to schedule and adjust,” Lohr said. “In the case of Louisiana and Mississippi, we tried a little harder because of the absolute devastation suffered by fellow Americans. The real difficulty is getting firefighters or medics for significant events with no notice.”

Those working out schedules were frustrated when warning orders came in from the Georgia Mutual Aid Group and Georgia Emergency Management Agency, schedules were revamped, and then, after waiting days or weeks, changed again. Some who had made arrangements based on one time frame were unable to change them for another.

“I should mention,” Lohr added, “that the ambulance we used was our reserve ambulance,” which is not usually in service in Peachtree City for reasons of staffing. “Each team had four firefighter/paramedics so they could operate in two two-man teams 24 hours a day.”

Lohr said plans and actions were forwarded to City Manager Bernie McMullen as they developed, and were then passed on to City Council.