SALEM, Ore – The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is sending help to Florida to assist with the response to Hurricane Ian. Today, 13 team members from the OSFM’s three incident management teams are leaving Oregon to work in Florida for up to 14 days.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management requested aid through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), administered by the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. The OSFM immediately went to work to fulfill the request. The team is led by Incident Commanders Ted Kunze and Ian Yocum. Specific work sites for the team will be determined as they travel and as Hurricane Ian continues to push across Florida. They’ll be working in communities impacted by the storm.
“We are thankful to the Oregon fire service and our all-hazard IMTs for answering the call to help Floridians,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “I want to extend a thank you to the team members, their families, and the Oregon fire service for supporting this mission. Our IMT members train year-round to be prepared to assist in any kind of emergency or disaster, including hurricanes. Our office stands ready to help protect lives and communities. We are keeping those in Florida impacted by this storm in our thoughts.”
ABOUT THE OSFM IMT PROGRAM
The OSFM administers three all-hazard incident management teams, primarily made of members of the Oregon structural fire service.
The OSFM all-hazard IMTs offer a wide range of emergency support services to develop plans to safely respond to and improve the lives of those impacted by the incident. The teams work to effectively coordinate with responding agencies to provide structure, support, and oversight during emergencies. They specialize in safety, public information and community engagement, operations, plan development, logistics, and communications.
The teams primarily mobilize to wildfires that threaten lives, homes, and critical infrastructure. This summer the OSFM’s three IMTs supported five wildfire conflagrations across Oregon. Learn more about OSFM’s IMTs here.