By EMS1 Staff
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — Specialized ambulance units and paramedics are heading to South Florida to help first responders as Hurricane Dorian approaches land.
First responders from Fayette Emergency Medical Service and Murrysville Medic One are heading to a staging area in Georgia where Florida EMS officials will be directing them to help with rescue efforts or evacuations, TribLive reported.
“We were both deployed in the panhandle of Florida around Panama City last (October) for Hurricane Michael and were there for 3 weeks. From what I’ve been able to gather from the most recent reports, Hurricane Dorian is expected to linger over Florida after it hits which could make it a lot worse than Hurricane Michael,” Fayette EMS Operations Manager Rick Adobato said.
National Hurricane Center officials expect the hurricane to reach Category 4 status once it reaches U.S. shores between the Florida Keys and southern Georgia.
Fayette and Murrysville EMS officials were asked to deploy their bariatric ambulance units. EMS officials are sending two and three paramedics with the units respectively.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh also sent its emergency power team to Florida and Puerto Rico. The Army Corps team made up of 13 responders is planning to install emergency generators where needed.