Is this what FEMA is doing with the firefighters?

[ems-buff 81]

From the Salt Lake Tribune

Frustrated: Fire crews to hand out fliers for FEMA

By Lisa Rosetta

The Salt Lake Tribune 

  Firefighters endure a day of FEMA training, which included a course on sexual harassment. Some firefighters say their skills are being wasted. (Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune)   

ATLANTA - 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.

would go back and ask the firefighter to revisit his commitment to FEMA, to firefighting and to the citizens of this country," said FEMA spokeswoman Mary Hudak.

    The firefighters - or at least the fire chiefs who assigned them to come to Atlanta - knew what the assignment would be, Hudak said.

    "The initial call to action very specifically says we're looking for two-person fire teams to do community relations," she said. "So if there is a breakdown [in communication], it was likely in their own departments."

    One fire chief from Texas agreed that the call was clear to work as community-relations officers. But he wonders why the 1,400 firefighters FEMA attracted to Atlanta aren't being put to better use. He also questioned why the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - of which FEMA is a part - has not responded better to the disaster.

    The firefighters, several of whom are from Utah, were told to bring backpacks, sleeping bags, first-aid kits and Meals Ready to Eat. They were told to prepare for "austere conditions." Many of them came with awkward fire gear and expected to wade in floodwaters, sift through rubble and save lives.

    "They've got people here who are search-and-rescue certified, paramedics, haz-mat certified," said a Texas firefighter. "We're sitting in here having a sexual-harassment class while there are still [victims] in Louisiana who haven't been contacted yet."

    The firefighter, who has encouraged his superiors back home not to send any more volunteers for now, declined to give his name because FEMA has warned them not to talk to reporters.

    On Monday, two firefighters from South Jordan and two from Layton headed for San Antonio to help hurricane evacuees there. Four firefighters from Roy awaited their marching orders, crossing their fingers that they would get to do rescue and recovery work, rather than paperwork.

    "A lot of people are bickering because there are rumors they'll just be handing out fliers," said Roy firefighter Logan Layne, adding that his squad hopes to be in the thick of the action. "But we'll do anything. We'll do whatever 

they need us to do."

    While FEMA's community-relations job may be an important one - displaced hurricane victims need basic services and a variety of resources - it may be a job best suited for someone else, say firefighters assembled at the Sheraton.

    "It's a misallocation of resources. Completely," said the Texas firefighter.

    "It's just an under-utilization of very talented people," said South Salt Lake Fire Chief Steve Foote, who sent a team of firefighters to Atlanta. "I was hoping once they saw the level of people . . . they would shift gears a little bit."

    Foote said his crews would be better used doing the jobs they are trained to do.

    But Louis H. Botta, a coordinating officer for FEMA, said sending out firefighters on community relations makes sense. They already have had background checks and meet the qualifications to be sworn as a federal employee. They have medical training that will prove invaluable as they come across hurricane victims in the field.

    A firefighter from California said he feels ill prepared to even carry out the job FEMA has assigned him. In the field, Hurricane Katrina victims will approach him with questions about everything from insurance claims to financial assistance.

    "My only answer to them is, '1-800-621-FEMA,' " he said. "I'm not used to not being in the know."

    Roy Fire Chief Jon Ritchie said his crews would be a "little frustrated" if they were assigned to hand out phone numbers at an evacuee center in Texas rather than find and treat victims of the disaster.

    Also of concern to some of the firefighters is the cost borne by their municipalities in the wake of their absence. Cities are picking up the tab to fill the firefighters' vacancies while they work 30 days for the federal government.

    "There are all of these guys with all of this training and we're sending them out to hand out a phone number," an Oregon firefighter said. "They [the hurricane victims] are screaming for help and this day [of FEMA training] was a waste."

    Firefighters say they want to brave the heat, the debris-littered roads, the poisonous cottonmouth snakes and fire ants and travel into pockets of Louisiana where many people have yet to receive emergency aid.

    But as specific orders began arriving to the firefighters in Atlanta, a team of 50 Monday morning quickly was ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew's first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas.

Again FEMA at work Insted of let us do what we are trained to to we have to hand out flyers

[ajsbear 11]

Just shows how FEMA needs to be totally taken apart and rebuilt. While several websites did say community relations, why send firefighters, highly trained in SAR as well as medics to do PR.

[CHIEFPHIL 90]

FEMA lost all it's muscle when it became a part of the Department of Homeland Security. As a stand alone unit of the Federal goverment, it acted swiftly and placed the proper people in the positions that needed to be filled during crisis.

Placing firefighters/emt's and highly trained emergency response personal in community outreach positions is a slap in the face. We train day in and day out to perform the task that are needed as "boots on the ground" not to perform "civil affairs jobs".

Granted, this is a disaster unseen by many of us let alone the entire country in thier lifetimes, was the goverment prepared...NO. Were we ? I'd say that most of us were looking at the TV and saying ..OK what do I need to do if this thing comes my way? Even if we think about it, we are planning for it. This goverment can take care of millions of people in far away lands, but cannot take care of it's own at home.

It takes days, if not weeks to move an army brigade , but it takes hours to move well intentioned, highly trained and competant rescue teams.

For the last 4 years all we have heard is how we need to train the first responders in WMD, terror attacks, bombings. In some cases we have been provided with useless equipment by the fed gov. We got the training, always had it. Now , here was the countries test....

I'm totally against self -dispatch and believe in a organized response to these types of incidents. FEMA should be taken out of DHS, set up a regional co-ordinator from this countries emergency services and activate those assets when needed. FEMA should not need a prod from the President to get moving, it should not take orders from the military, but should work jointly with them as they do bring a strong leadership role to these incidents.

I believe the NOPD, NOFD are doing one heck of a job under such adverse conditions. My heart and prayers go out to all our brothers/sisters police officers and ems people on the gulf coast. Remember, not only did and continue to respond, but they themselves have been affected by loosing thier homes, loved ones . How many perished during the storm ? When that comes out, I feel the emergency services in this county will be in mournig.

Just my opinion.

[Guest Steven Glickman]

The firefighters in that article are an example of people who make the fire service look like s***. If they had taken 5 minutes to read the FEMA call for firefighters, then they would have known what they were going down to assist with. The FF's who took the shirts off and are unwilling to help out make me sick. Any one who could walk away from someone in need should consider a different line of work.

[cas2383 22]

What is FEMA doing to the towns cities etc these workers are being pulled from where their expertese in life saving is now NOT being utilized? My opinion it is ridculous to send firefighters and ems down there to do paper work, they would be more beneficial to Help people not sort out and begin a long process wound in red tape. Send them where they can help people, being home or to the disaster area, never mind paper work.

Edited September 7, 2005 by cas2383

[ajsbear 11]

I'm working from home today and have FOX NEWS Network on and they're showing a crew of what looks like mostly FDNY members with several other departments judging from the different gear fighting a fire in a industrial building using New Orleans equiptment. Maybe 30+ from the footage from the air. This is what Fire Fighters are, not PR people. I do have to agree that the request through FEMA's web site did say it was mostly administrative and PR, not operational but the borthers in N.O. are exhausted. Don't know what the brothers in that hotel in Ga. thought but the request was pretty plain and simple on what they wanted the 1,000 firefighters for.

[Guest]

Wasn't it just last week that FEMA was worried about 10 codes. Maybe they should have been more interested in helping people in need, with the silly stuff,water, food and shelter.

[Guest 786XP]

I take offense to the statement that these fire fighters make us look bad. Let's get it straight, FEMA makes all of us look bad. There is no doubt that the fire fighters were aware of the nature of the request for help (stating non-operational duties), but who can justify why you would assemble 1000-2000 capable rescuers and have them hand out fliers with FEMA's phone number (do the people affected even have phones to use).

What is clear is the total lack of competence that FEMA has in properly allocating and deploying first responders. This should be no surprise when the organization is run by a bunch of individuals who could not tell you the difference between a hose or a ladder.

Much commentary has appeared on the internet regarding this problem. I think Chief Harry Carter said it best, what we need is a good veteran Fire Chief to run this thing, not some political syncophant.

I guess this decision could be summed up with this analogy: FEMA's decision to have fire fighters hand out phone numbers is like having the World Series between the Yankees and the Red Sox (yeah I know they are in the same league, but go with me on this) and telling the players when they show up for the game that they will be selling the programs instead of playing.....

Just my 2 cents.

[Guest ksneubec]

The reasoning behind hiring FFs to do this work:

FEMA has (had) a policy of trying to hire "locals" during natural disasters- both because the locals know where to get local supplies, the terrain, etc, but also because it helps to support those who were just affected by the disaster (give them a job).

Due to the "urgent" nature of disasters, background checks were not done on previous hirees, and a few shady characters were recently hired. After being issued a gov't credit card, they promptly purchased vehicles, boats, etc and left town. Supposedly the FBI is still looking for them.

So, FEMA asked the question, "who can we hire as a group that has already gone through some sort of background check and also tend to be good workers, properly motivated and know ICS?" Who else but the fire service.

Lastly, do I agree with using the vast majority of us for non-operational roles, when clearly there is still a need to put firefighters into these areas to help with rescues? No. BUT, FEMA did make it very clear, in their application, as well as from day one in arriving at Atlanta, that this is a non-operational role. They gave a chance to go home right from the start if we weren't happy with that.

I think most of either deployed or stuck in Atlanta fully realize that, and while we may not be very happy with it, are more than willing to go help and do whatever it is we can, even if it is non-operational.