GOVERNOR CRIST COMMENDS FLORIDA NATIONAL GUARD FOR FIGHTING CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
July 8, 2008
Contact:
GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE
850-488-5394
TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist today praised the Florida National Guard crew heading to Northern California for a 10-day deployment to fight wildfires. Six guardsmen will operate and support a Type-1 Firehawk helicopter from the New York State National Guard. Florida and New York join 11 other states in providing National Guard Air Assets to assist California in battling wildfires that have burned 610,000 acres to date. California was one of 35 states that responded to Florida’s need for assistance during the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.
“I applaud our emergency management team and our Florida National Guard who are always ready to respond to the needs of our people in difficult times,” said Governor Crist. “It is an honor to be able to help our fellow Americans in California, especially when we have received their help in the past.”
The Florida Division of Emergency Management received a request for assistance from the California Office of Emergency Services as part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which allows states experiencing an emergency to quickly and efficiently request and receive assistance from other states. Florida crews will arrive in California Saturday, July 12, after picking up the helicopter in New York.
“We are proud to provide assistance to another state in need,” said Maj. Gen. Douglas Burnett, Adjutant General of Florida and commander of the Florida National Guard. “Florida had an active fire season earlier this year, and our flight crews come with a wealth of recent experience that will allow them to join in quickly and make a difference for the citizens of California.”
The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) was developed after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida in 1992 as a way for states to help each other during a major disaster. In response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Florida committed more than 7,000 responders to assist impacted areas in Mississippi and Louisiana. The California request for assistance was coordinated through the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and the Florida National Guard is one of over 50 state agencies and partners that form the State Emergency Response Team.
“The EMAC process becomes a vital resource for large-scale and long term events,” said State Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate. “As local and regional resources are stretched thin by time, EMAC gives emergency managers and local responders the additional resources needed to meet the ongoing needs of the disaster.”
For more information on the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, please go to www.emacweb.org . For more information about Florida’s Emergency Management program and to get a disaster preparedness plan, visit www.FloridaDisaster.org.