(WTVF) — The State of Tennessee has deployed multiple first responder teams to Florida. The emergency crews will support life-safety readiness and response efforts for Hurricane Dorian' s impending landfall.
The teams - comprising 121 emergency response personnel - are mobilizing ahead of the natural disaster, which is expected to make landfall at Florida in the upcoming days.
The crews specialize in fuel support, medical care, urban search and rescue and swift water rescue. Team breakdowns follow:
- An ambulance strike team of 48 emergency medical services personnel from the counties of Anderson, Benton, Cheatham, Claiborne, Grainger, Green, Hamilton, Hardeman, Madison, Metro Nashville/Davidson, Montgomery, Sullivan, Sumner and Weakley, as well as the cities of Bartlett and Germantown in Shelby County.
- An urban search and rescue team of 35 personnel with Tennessee Task Force 2.
- A swift-water rescue team of 37 personnel from fire departments in Dickson, Madison, Shelby and Williamson Counties, as well as the cities of Ashland City in Dickson County and La Vergne in Rutherford County.
- One staff member from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Office of Energy Programs who will support Florida's fuel operations during the emergency.
The teams are to travel to Tallahassee, Florida, where they will receive further orders from Florida's emergency officials.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TeMA) is coordinating the Tennessee deployments for Dorian through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). EMAC is the nation's state-to-state mutual aid system.
TEMA and partners are monitoring Dorian's track to make sure Tennessee is prepared to respond here or help neighboring states, should the track of the storm change.
Hurricane Dorian has intensified to a Category 4 hurricane over the last few days. It is poised to make landfall Monday, posing a threat to Florida and a potential threat to the southeastern United States.
The State of Tennessee's emergency crews are not the only ones sending aid for Hurricane Dorian. Local nonprofits are also doing what they can to help. The hurricane has impacted plans for trips to Florida, though.
