Sep 28, 2022 3 min read

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In anticipation of Hurricane Ian, some area emergency responders have been deployed to Florida to offer assistance.

Personnel from Fayette Emergency Medical Services, Murrysville Medic One and Rostraver West Newton Emergency Medical Services are among those responding to the request for aid in advance of the hurricane.

Ian is forecast to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday as a major Category 3 hurricane.

It was expected to slow over the warm Gulf of Mexico, enabling the hurricane to grow wider and stronger. Rainfall could exceed 16 inches, and the surge of ocean water could reach 10 feet if it peaks at high tide. The hurricane warning covers roughly 180 miles of Florida’s west coast, and includes Fort Myers as well as Tampa and St. Petersburg. Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect across much of the Tampa Bay metro area.

The three area emergency medical services work as a partnership under American Medical Response’s (AMR) contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“Even though we’re apart from each other, we’re almost sister companies,” said Fayette EMS Chief Rick Adobato. “The director at Murrysville and the director at Rostraver used to work for me. We’ve been friends for years both business and personally. We work very well together.”

AMR is FEMA’s prime emergency medical service response provider and has a national agreement with FEMA to provide ground ambulance, air ambulance, paratransit services and non-ambulance EMS personnel to supplement federal and military response to a disaster, an act of terrorism or any other public health emergency.

“We allot them a certain resource,” said Greg Cominsky, office manager/paramedic supervisor for Rostraver West Newton EMS. “If there’s something that happens, they send out an alert and we send resources to help out.”

Cominsky said two members of Rostraver West Newton EMS who have special disaster training left for Florida Monday night.

“If it’s a prolonged event, we’ll fly other people down there,” Cominsky said.

Fayette EMS sent three crews and three ambulances, along with additional medical supplies, earlier this week while a fourth unit was scheduled to depart Tuesday night. Murrysville Medic One sent two units.

Fayette EMS service anticipates crews will be on a 14-day activation, but that can change as the situation evolves.

In the wake of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, which caused $108 billion in damages and was responsible for 1,833 deaths, Congress has given FEMA greater authority to move resources to a disaster zone before a storm rather than wait for formal requests from governors afterward.

Adobato said duties Florida can include transporting patients, evacuating patients, manning shelters and responding to 911 calls.

“We won’t know until we get there,” he said.

“Whatever is needed of them, that’s what they’re going to do,” Cominsky added.

Crews will stay in the area as long as needed. When they arrive at their assigned area, they will be working under the guidance of FEMA, state and local EMS agencies.

“As first responders, we provide care to those in need, so being able to help provide assistance to residents and communities being impacted by this disaster is an honor,” Adobato said. “While we are deploying resources to some of the hardest hit areas, this will not affect our ability to continue providing timely medical care for our communities in Fayette County.”

Emergency management officials in Washington and Greene counties were not aware of any crews going to Florida in advance of the hurricane.