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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Battalion Chief Steven Sapp - (573) 874-7557

Two Columbia firefighters deploy to the Gulf states on FEMA deployment

COLUMBIA, MO (September 7, 2005) -- At the request of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency through the Department of Homeland Security,
the Columbia Fire Department will today deploy two Columbia firefighters
to the Gulf States area to aid in the recovery efforts of Hurricane
Katrina. 

Last week, a plea went out to fire departments across the country to
provide 1,000 two-person teams of firefighters to assist in
non-operational aspects of the recovery. What this means is firefighters
will assist in rendering aid by staffing FEMA sites to interview victims
to determine what assistance they are eligible for, assisting victims in
completing paperwork, and rendering minor first aid. 

The teams are on a 30-day deployment cycle and a second team may be
sent when the first team returns. Each team must be self-sufficient,
meaning that they take the clothes on their back and one backpack.
Working and living conditions will be less then ideal. Several
firefighters had indicated that they were willing to respond to the
crisis. 

The Columbia City Council last night passed a resolution allowing
emergency service workers such as Fire, Health, and Water & Light to
send employees to the Gulf State areas to render aid. The deployment
will not have an adverse effect on staffing for the Columbia Fire
Department. 

Fire Lt. Bruce Britt and Firefighter Brian Wattenbarger will both
depart from the Columbia Regional Airport at 3:15 p.m. this afternoon
for Atlanta Ga. At Atlanta, each will be sworn in, issued ID, a FEMA
cell phone, and a FEMA T-shirt, and then informed of their final
deployment destination.

- 30 -
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