Sep 3, 2021 3 min read

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Local first responders have deployed to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

Fayette EMS Chief Rick Adobato said EMT T.J. Hibbs and paramedic Matt Alderson and an ambulance with additional medical supplies departed from the Connellsville station around noon on Monday and reached a Mississippi staging area around 4 a.m. on Tuesday.

They traveled with crews from Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services and Murrysville Medic One as part of the America Medical Response (AMR) deployment for Hurricane Ida.

“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.”

The hurricane made its way to shore on Sunday, knocking out power in New Orleans, blowing roofs off buildings and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River as it rushed from the Louisiana coast into one of the nation’s most important industrial corridors. On Tuesday, Adobato said he anticipates the crew will be on a 14-day activation, but said that can change as the situation evolves.

He said he didn’t yet know where the Federal Emergency Management Agency would send the crew or what duties they would be assigned. Crews will work under the guidance of FEMA, state and local EMS agencies.

Fayette EMS was last deployed as part of AMR in 2019 when they sent crews to Florida and South Carolina in response to Hurricane Dorian. 

The local services that deployed are network providers under AMR, which consists of over 28,000 paramedics, EMTs, RNs and other professionals to provide services in 40 states and the District of Columbia. AMR has a national agreement with FEMA to provide ground ambulance, air ambulance, paratransit services and non-ambulance EMS personnel to supplement the federal and military response to a disaster, an act of terrorism or any other public health emergency.

Greg Cominsky, a supervisor with Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services, said they, also, sent paramedic Joshua Critchfield, EMT Joshua Payne, and an ambulance with supplies.

Cominsky said the AMR deployments are an example of the dedication first responders have to communities near and far.

“The reward for us is benefiting mankind and society,” said Cominsky, who was part of a crew that went south for Hurricane Katrina. “It’s people with a strong dedication to service helping out those who are in a bad way.”

“Everything from Hurricane Katrinia until now was a learning experience,” Adobato said. “As sad as it is in some of these areas, it’s a really good experience for our people.”

Adobato said not only is the experience different than what they do everyday in Fayette County, but they come back with lifelong friendships with others they work beside, learn how different ambulance services work and learn how procedures are done in different locations.