NEWS
MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
COURT HOUSE, NORRISTOWN, PA., BOX 311, 19404-0311
PHONE (610) 278-3061 FAX 278-5943
COMMISSIONERS:
JAMES R. MATTHEWS, Chairman, JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL, Vice Chairman, BRUCE L. CASTOR, JR, Commissioner
RELEASE: IMMEDIATELY 09/03/08 PR#08-27
Montgomery County Assists in Hurricane Recovery
NORRISTOWN — Montgomery County deployed an Emergency Medical Services Strike Team to Louisiana on the evening of Aug. 29th to assist with the recovery efforts from Hurricane Gustav.
The team consisted of members from Goodwill EMS of Pottstown, Lower Frederick EMS, Second Alarmers Rescue Squad, Trappe Fire Company EMS and Montgomery County Department of Public Safety for support.
Each ambulance is staffed with 4 EMT/Paramedics and the MCDPS Support Vehicle is staffed by Public Safety Technical Staff. Deputy Director of Public Safety, Scott Mickalonis is serving as Team Leader.
They joined units from Chester, Bucks, and Philadelphia counties to form a SE PA Strike Team.
After driving for 23 hours, the team arrived in Alexandria, LA and was immediately put to work evacuating critical care patients from hospitals.
Team members then rode out the hurricane in a shelter, where they continued to provide care to the 4,000 evacuees.
The Strike Team next went to Thibodaux, LA, where the hurricane made landfall. It was among the first units to arrive in that area and assisted in search and rescue. It is now in Zackery, LA, east of Baton Rouge, evacuating critical patients from a hospital that lost all emergency power.
The Montgomery County Strike team is part of the Pennsylvania Strike Team and Pennsylvania Task Force 1, which was mobilized by the Governor.
