What goes around comes around.
That's was the spirit behind Owasco Fire Chief Chris Morabito sending three of his firefighters to hurricane-addled New Orleans. Nineteen-year fire department veteran Travis Poole and his fellow firefighter, Brian Jessie, will be heading down to the Gulf Coast Wednesday to help FEMA with the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Firefighter and licensed mortician Mike Nye is also going down to the region to serve as part of a Disaster Mortuary Operational Response team.
"It's great for them to go down," Morabito said. "We may be in a situation where we need help like that someday."
Poole, Jessie and Nye are just three of a handful of local firefighters, both volunteer and professional, who have either just returned from New Orleans or who are looking to go down. While some of those who have already been down to help went as private citizens, Poole and Jessie will be working as community relations representatives for FEMA.
The pair found out about FEMA's call to volunteer firefighters from the Web site www.firehouse.com. The federal agency was looking for 1,000 teams of two to direct humanitarian outreach to people in New Orleans and the surrounding effected areas.
Poole, 35, who works as a supervisor at Hillside Children's Center in Auburn, heeded the call, thanks to generous leave from his employer. He talked to Jessie, 21, about going down to help, and the two sent off their applications last week. Within a day, the two received authorization to make the trip and had the weekend to pack and prepare.
Assisting with disasters outside of central New York has always been a hallmark of the Owasco Fire Department. During 9/11, the department sent an ambulance and crew to help, and they've also been active in providing support for natural disasters in New York state.
"Owasco Fire Department has always been generous," Poole said.
The pair will fly out Wednesday morning to a staging area in east Texas. They will then be processed, get the requisite shots and receive eight hours of specific training. Then they'll be sent out to help victims apply for federal aid, distribute information, provide first aid and take reports. Neither knows what to expect, but both feel adequately prepared.
Poole has received training from the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Alabama, and he has been a member of the county's Critical Incident Stress Management Team. Jessie feels his service as an Eagle Scout and a firefighter has prepared him for whatever they'll encounter.
"Being in the fire service taught me that yes, it's mentally draining, but you're there to help people. You can't stop. You have to keep moving," Jessie said.
The pair anticipate being in the hurricane-effected region for 30 days and will be compensated by FEMA for their efforts.
Aurelius volunteer firefighter Kyle Hultz, 23, returned from volunteering in New Orleans on Saturday. He traveled down to the region as part of a seven-man group organized by Eric Saulsbury, whose family started Saulsbury Fire Rescue, Inc., in Cortland.
The group, made up of firefighters from Aurelius, Scipio and Ithaca, volunteered with the fire department from Denham Springs, La., about 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, just outside Baton Rouge. Every morning, the group would rise at dawn, drive two hours to New Orleans, and boat around the city with New Orleans police officers to find survivors. In their eight days in the region, Hultz and his group rescued 66 people, the majority of whom were elderly.
"We went door to door and some people were really bad," Hultz said.
One elderly woman had been pinned between her toilet and her bathtub, unable to get food or fresh water for days. Another elderly man had become desperately ill from drinking contaminated water.
Six members of the Auburn Fire Department have expressed interest in working with FEMA in the two-person teams, but city council has yet to approve the venture.
As for what Poole, Jessie and Nye can expect during their time down south, Hultz said it's the vastness of New Orleans and the extent of the damaged areas.
"It was amazing. I couldn't believe New Orleans was as big as it is," Hultz said. "Going around on those boats, it was a lot bigger than I expected."
Staff writer Lauren Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245
or lauren.ober@lee.net
"It's great for them to go down," Morabito said. "We may be in a situation where we need help like that someday."
Poole, Jessie and Nye are just three of a handful of local firefighters, both volunteer and professional, who have either just returned from New Orleans or who are looking to go down. While some of those who have already been down to help went as private citizens, Poole and Jessie will be working as community relations representatives for FEMA.
The pair found out about FEMA's call to volunteer firefighters from the Web site www.firehouse.com. The federal agency was looking for 1,000 teams of two to direct humanitarian outreach to people in New Orleans and the surrounding effected areas.
Poole, 35, who works as a supervisor at Hillside Children's Center in Auburn, heeded the call, thanks to generous leave from his employer. He talked to Jessie, 21, about going down to help, and the two sent off their applications last week. Within a day, the two received authorization to make the trip and had the weekend to pack and prepare.
Assisting with disasters outside of central New York has always been a hallmark of the Owasco Fire Department. During 9/11, the department sent an ambulance and crew to help, and they've also been active in providing support for natural disasters in New York state.
"Owasco Fire Department has always been generous," Poole said.
The pair will fly out Wednesday morning to a staging area in east Texas. They will then be processed, get the requisite shots and receive eight hours of specific training. Then they'll be sent out to help victims apply for federal aid, distribute information, provide first aid and take reports. Neither knows what to expect, but both feel adequately prepared.
Poole has received training from the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Alabama, and he has been a member of the county's Critical Incident Stress Management Team. Jessie feels his service as an Eagle Scout and a firefighter has prepared him for whatever they'll encounter.
"Being in the fire service taught me that yes, it's mentally draining, but you're there to help people. You can't stop. You have to keep moving," Jessie said.
The pair anticipate being in the hurricane-effected region for 30 days and will be compensated by FEMA for their efforts.
Aurelius volunteer firefighter Kyle Hultz, 23, returned from volunteering in New Orleans on Saturday. He traveled down to the region as part of a seven-man group organized by Eric Saulsbury, whose family started Saulsbury Fire Rescue, Inc., in Cortland.
The group, made up of firefighters from Aurelius, Scipio and Ithaca, volunteered with the fire department from Denham Springs, La., about 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, just outside Baton Rouge. Every morning, the group would rise at dawn, drive two hours to New Orleans, and boat around the city with New Orleans police officers to find survivors. In their eight days in the region, Hultz and his group rescued 66 people, the majority of whom were elderly.
"We went door to door and some people were really bad," Hultz said.
One elderly woman had been pinned between her toilet and her bathtub, unable to get food or fresh water for days. Another elderly man had become desperately ill from drinking contaminated water.
Six members of the Auburn Fire Department have expressed interest in working with FEMA in the two-person teams, but city council has yet to approve the venture.
As for what Poole, Jessie and Nye can expect during their time down south, Hultz said it's the vastness of New Orleans and the extent of the damaged areas.
"It was amazing. I couldn't believe New Orleans was as big as it is," Hultz said. "Going around on those boats, it was a lot bigger than I expected."
Staff writer Lauren Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245
or lauren.ober@lee.net
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