As Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Monday August 29th, over 100 members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department were staging in the Pensacola area, awaiting their orders to deploy in to hurricane ravaged areas. Firefighters left early Monday with enough food to feed themselves for 5-7 days.
Jacksonville’s Firefighters arrived in the Pascagoula area of Mississippi Tuesday morning with the task of assisting the needy. Upon arrival, they were swarmed by people looking for food and water. As part of their nature, the firefighters gave their food and water to people who needed it more than they did.
On Tuesday August 30th, the firefighters in Mississippi called in to report that they were in desperate need of food and water. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department sprung into action, announcing to the citizens of Jacksonville that a 12 hour emergency supply drive would start at 8am the following day. All of Jacksonville’s 55 fire stations were announced as drop off sites.
Starting at 8am on Wednesday, August 31st, the citizens of Jacksonville responded. Within 12 hours, over 40 tons of bottled water, Gatorade, bug spray, diapers, and other non perishable items were delivered to Jacksonville fire stations. By late Wednesday evening, five tractor trailers were on their way to support Jacksonville’s firefighters in Mississippi with just a fraction of the supplies.
Off duty firefighters volunteered their time Thursday September 1st and Friday September 2nd as supplies continued to pour in. It is estimated that an additional 15 tractor trailers will be needed to transport supplies to the Gulf Coast.
Anyone wishing to still donate can continue to do so by bringing their donations to the JFRD Tactical Support Facility at 355 Ellis Rd. S. It is at the intersection of Ellis Rd. and Highway Avenue on Jacksonville’s Westside.
The Jacksonville Firefighters would like to thank the citizens of Jacksonville for their massive support of our brothers trying to make a difference in the hurricane affected areas.