Trenton,
NJ – Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent
of New Jersey State Police and Director
of the State Office of Emergency Management,
today urged New Jersey first responders
and other personnel not to depart for
the states hit by Hurricane Katrina unless
those personnel are officially mobilized
by the State of New Jersey.
“New
Jersey’s thousands of first responders
and rescue personnel are extremely dedicated,
and we know many are eager to rush down
to the Gulf Coast to help those communities
recover,” Fuentes said.
“We
commend them for their willingness to
help. But unless and until they are officially
requested through the Emergency Management
Assistance Compact and mobilized by the
New Jersey Office of Emergency Management,
those personnel should remain where they
are.”
The
states affected by Katrina so far have
not requested help from New Jersey, though
the State Office of Emergency Management
has identified personnel and rescue equipment
that could leave for the Gulf states with
two hours notification.
If
those states do request New Jersey’s
help via the Emergency Management Assistance
Compact, the Office of Emergency Management
will send those responders over in a uniformed
and coordinated manner.
Fuentes
pointed out that massive rescue efforts
such as those now underway in the Gulf
states can be harmed, rather than helped,
when rescue workers try to help out without
coordinating with the agencies in charge.
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