Frustrated Fire Crews To Hand Out Fliers For FEMA

[Bob Hubbard]

Frustrated Fire Crews To Hand Out Fliers For FEMA

Author: Lisa Rosetta Source: The Salt Lake Tribune (UT)

Title: FRUSTRATED: FIRE CREWS TO HAND OUT FLIERS FOR FEMA

Not long after some 1,000 firefighters sat down for eight hours of training, the whispering began: "What are we doing here?"

As New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin pleaded on national television for firefighters - his own are exhausted after working around the clock for a week - a battalion of highly trained men and women sat idle Sunday in a muggy Sheraton Hotel conference room in Atlanta.

Many of the firefighters, assembled from Utah and throughout the United States by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, thought they were going to be deployed as emergency workers.

Instead, they have learned they are going to be community-relations officers for FEMA, shuffled throughout the Gulf Coast region to disseminate fliers and a phone number: 1-800-621-FEMA.

On Monday, some firefighters stuck in the staging area at the Sheraton peeled off their FEMA-issued shirts and stuffed them in backpacks, saying they refuse to represent the federal agency.

Federal officials are unapologetic. Options: [Read Full Story]
From Witches Voice

 

[arnisador]

The local paper here in NM has been carrying similar stories about local personnel sent to the affected areas. No one knows how to use them--or is organized enough to do so, at least.

 

[Sapper6]

if i were them (and i've personally been in that position), i'd tell the FEMA to **** themselves. if they are not going to use the professional resources and experience i may bring to the situation, then i'll go back home and actually help someone by doing what i am trained to do.

 

[Tgace]

I worked the Ice Storm of 92' in upstate NY with the NG. National Disaster, Days worth of freezing rain collapsed houses, knocked out power, buried people stuck outside under sheets of ice. FEMA showed up, the works. All FEMA does when the **** hits the fan is co-ordinate local/state assets, provide some material/equipment and pass out money. The FEMA I experienced wasnt an army of people and vehicles that go out and DO anything. They seemed more like clerks and officials.

 

[RickRed]

The local paper here in NM has been carrying similar stories about local personnel sent to the affected areas. No one knows how to use them--or is organized enough to do so, at least.

From watching the news it looks like there isn't enough equiptment to get people in or out of places very well. Maybe all the firemen and other people are stuck because they cant get them into the areas, or supply them well enough to get them to the areas that they might be able to help.

Plus, with the looting and lawlessness, maybe they aren't willing to send these guys into areas that they can't keep them safe while they are doing their jobs.

This thing is really messed up, no matter what the reasons.

I doubt that these people are sitting back and happy that they can't fix it faster or use all these helpers better.

 

[Tgace]

Typo...that Ice Storm was in 98' not 92'.