Teams from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County are joining other rescue personnel from Middle, East, and West Tennessee in South Carolina to provide rescue capabilities, and any other disaster assistance related to the impact of Hurricane Florence.
Rutherford County Fire-Rescue Chief Larry Farley has announced that on Wednesday morning, Sept. 12, Swiftwater Rescue crews from RCFR will be deploying to South Carolina.
The storm is shaping up to be one of the strongest in decades and more than 1 million people have been ordered to evacuate from the Carolinas and Virginia as extensive flooding is expected.
Four crewmembers from Rutherford County Fire Rescue will be joined by four from Wilson County EMA, and another four from Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue Department to become a 12 man Type II team for this response.
A total of 12 personnel will join other teams from Middle, East, and West Tennessee, which include personnel from other disciplines such as police, emergency medical services, and other technical rescue specialties.
A total of eight Tennessee teams will depart Sept. 12 for Fort McRady, South Carolina, near Columbia, to stage until they receive orders.
This request comes from FEMA and is a function of EMAC, The Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is a mutual aid agreement among states and territories of the United States. It enables states to share resources during disasters.
The deploying teams from Murfreesboro will head to Nashville for a TEMA briefing before traveling to their destination at Fort McRady near Columbia, South Carolina.
RCFR will bring a rescue truck, all water rescue equipment to outfit the 4 crewmembers and a ‘sustainment trailer’ capable of providing temporary shelter and necessities for any deployed responders on site. Teams are expected to remain in South Carolina for approximately a week; subject to determination by FEMA.
MFRD will post pictures, updates, and more information on their social media outlets throughout the process, Public Information Officer Ashley McDonald said.
