Press Release September 29, 2004

KETTERING LOCAL 2150

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS

KETTERING, OHIO

KETTERING LOCAL 2150 PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS  GO TO FLORIDA

 Professional Firefighters from Kettering Fire Department were deployed with FEMA and Ohio Task Force One to Florida to aide rescue and recovery efforts after the state was devastated by four hurricanes.  Ohio Task Force One deployed 32 area firefighters as its team.  Kettering Fire Captain Jim Gruenberg, Firefighter Dave Tritch, and Firefighter Scott Perkins were activated and deployed as part of the Ohio Task Force One team.  The devastation they encountered was almost beyond belief.  Firefighter Tritch said, “It was as if a 200 mile wide tornado struck the region.”  The Ohio team operated in the region South East of Pensacola in the Gulf Shores, Santa Rosa, and Barrier Islands as well as the Pensacola Beach area.  Hurricane aftermath was almost incomprehensible; storm surges had carried houses up to a mile inland before crushing them like balsawood models.  Crews had to dig through four to eight foot drifts of sand to make access to other residences.  “It was almost like a snow storm in 90 degree weather,” said Firefighter Perkins.

Captain Gruenberg was deployed for 20 days and was assigned to the National Disaster Medical System/Urban Search and Rescue Division where he coordinated search and rescue efforts of all the combined state and federal agencies in the northern Florida region after Hurricane Francis.  Gruenberg was then assigned the same task in the eastern panhandle region following Hurricane Ivan.  Firefighters Tritch and Perkins were deployed for seven days to the southeastern Florida theatre.  Firefighter Tritch was in charge of establishing and coordinating communications between the myriad of agencies involved in search and rescue

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