Local firefighters, police officers prepare to deploy to Florida in Milton’s wake

IRONDALE, Ala. ( WIAT ) — As Hurricane Milton made its way across Florida, Alabama first responders prepare to jump into action to help. The state of Florida is asking Alabama for both police officers and firefighters to provide aid.

The Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs says this call for help came in Wednesday. Local fire departments spent Wednesday afternoon getting supplies together for a deployment down to Florida, so crews could leave Thursday morning. The firefighters must be able to self-sustain for the first 96 hours they’re on the ground.

“Our tools, our trucks, charging equipment, everything, we need to be able to do that ourselves until they can get some other avenues in there for us to be able to do those things,” Irondale Fire Chief Joshua McDaniel said.

The Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs says 44 firefighters from across the state will be deploying to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. The deployment is expected to be two weeks long.

“Each fire engine will have four people on it and, so, we’re also carrying some support vehicles down to help carry supplies, take some UTVs and things like that,” McDaniel said.

Irondale is preparing to send an engine truck, a rescue unit and an ATV to Florida. Other fire departments like Oneonta are preparing to deploy four water rescue certified firefighters and paramedics on an engine truck.

“All the time we stay prepared to be deployed on short notice like this,” Oneonta Fire and Rescue Service SGT. Jonathan Ledbetter said. “I think on the pre-stage, we just want to make sure that we have all of the resources that they need in that area so that we can mitigate any circumstances or emergencies that they’re going to encounter.”

Many of the local fire departments around central Alabama have also been assisting in Hurricane Helene cleanup, but it’s something the firefighters say they’re glad to do.

“We’re in very high spirits. I think that it’s very important for us to be able to help because we know that if that event ever comes to Oneonta, we know that we would quickly be overwhelmed,” Ledbetter said. “We do that so that way we have those favors repaid to us if we ever need them in the future.”

“We give back to others and, so, in return we receive,” McDaniel said. “It’s nice to be able to go and help other people in their time of need. That’s what the fire service is about and it spreads further than just Irondale.”

Florida has also requested 500 Alabama police officers to help with security in the Milton aftermath. The Alabaster Police Department is preparing to send four officers who have military backgrounds.

“We’re not sure exactly the impact the hurricane is going to have to the neighborhoods and to the businesses,” Alabaster Police LT. John Plumb said. “A lot of times after disasters like that, they need extra patrols to be able to secure neighborhoods, homes, residences, also the businesses to make sure that there’s no looting and issues like that that happen.”

Because of the quick turnaround on the deployment, first responders say the best thing the community can do to support them is to pray for everyone going down and for their spouses and children holding down the fort at home.

“A lot of the officers that are down there, they live down there so they’re going to be affected personally, their families, their children, their businesses, their homes, and so we’re going to be able to assist in taking some of the burden off the officers having to work extra hours,” Plumb said.

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