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Fire & Rescue
NEWS RELEASE

     Nacogdoches Fire & Rescue Captain Robert Ford left Monday as part of the State of Texas response to the recent tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Ford and a representative of the Texas Forest Service will work at the State Operations Center in Jefferson City providing logistics and resource support. The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) requested the assistance from Texas through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). All costs associated with the deployment will be reimbursed by the State of Texas and ultimately the State of Missouri. The Joplin tornado was described as ½ mile wide and tracked the ground for 4 miles damaging residences, buildings and a hospital according the SEMA. As of Monday 113 deceased people had been identified according to the SEMA website.

     Captain Ford is regularly assigned to the Fire Marshal’s Office and works as part of the local emergency management team. Ford has previously deployed several times in response to hurricanes and other events and as part of the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS). According to Paul Hannemann, Department Head for Emergency Response for the Forest Service, “Robert has excelled in logistics on previous in-state assignments and we knew he would do a great job.” According to Nacogdoches Fire Chief Keith Kiplinger, “in addition to helping others, deploying to other parts of Texas or even other states provides an unparalleled training opportunity to our Fire & Rescue firefighters. Participation in these programs helps equip Nacogdoches firefighters to make Nacogdoches Fire & Rescue a more effective all-hazard response agency.” Fire Marshal Del Birdwell notes that “while we have extensive experience working on large-scale incidents at a local level, these deployments help our firefighters understand what is going on at the state and federal level. That understanding and experience better enables us to serve our community.”

     For additional information about Captain Ford’s response or deployments by Nacogdoches Fire & Rescue, Contact Division Chief Del Birdwell or Fire Chief Keith Kiplinger at 936/559-2541

     For additional information about the request, EMAC or the Texas response,contact Paul Hannemann, Chief Regional Fire Coordinator and Incident Response Department Head with the Texas Forest Service at 979/218-2401.