WORLD'S Premier Rescue Team Can't Get Into NOLA

[autorank]

GUESS WHO COULDN'T GET INTO NOLA AFTER THEY WENT ON THEIR OWN DIME? ONE OF THE WORLDS BEST URBAN RESCUE TEAMS...THE TEAM WENT ON IT'S OWN INITIATIVE WHEN THEY HEARD ABOUT THE TRAGEDY! THIS IS LIKE HOLDING A FUND-RAISER AND TURNING AWAY BILL GATES. btw, FEMA FUNDS THESE FOLKS! Go Figure

http://www.vatf1.org/

It never occurred to the Fairfax Rescue Team that they'd be turned away from their specialty URBAN rescue and sent to RURAL Mississippi (where they did great work). They heard about NOLA and rolled on their own. Everybody wants them all over the world. They helped greatly at 911 and many other disasters. It's a select group of highly trained volunteers from the Fairfax Fire and Public Safety Department.

THEY WERE TURNED AWAY FROM NEW ORLEANS. INSANE

Fairfax County, Virginia Fire and Rescue Department,
Virginia Task Force 1 -- Rescue Team (The rescue team to have during a natural disaster, they go every where and do a great job).

Established in 1986 as a domestic and international disaster response resource, sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, Virginia Task Force 1 is rostered by approximately 200 specially trained career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel, with expertise in the rescue of victims from collapsed structures, following a natural or man-made catastrophic event.

4600 West Ox Road
Fairfax, VA 22030

Voice: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

The team is comprised of emergency managers and planners, physicians and paramedics and includes specialists in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, logistics, hazardous materials, communications, canine and technical search.

Virginia Task Force 1 has partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency for domestic response and the United States Agency for International Development/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance during international missions. As a part of the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, the task force maintains constant operational readiness as a local resource for residents of Fairfax County and surrounding jurisdictions.

We invite you to view our web site to learn more about our Department, our community and our team.

[chomskysright]

go hit the DU thread re: struggle between Blanco and Bush: incredible

[Erika]

1. More Bush Mismanagement

With our poor paying the cost.

[DBoon]

15. Mismanagement implies this is not deliberate

I suspect this is not the case.

Bush wants New Orleans to die. His inaction is making sure this happens.

[KeepItReal]

2. Who says they were turned away? Have a link to story?

More details please.

Thanks.

[autorank]

3. Right back

[autorank]

4. Here it is, worse than I let on.

I'm particularly proud of the Fairfax team because that's the world headquarters of Rankland. However, there were two other excellent teams, Loudoun County, VA and Montgomery County, MD which were dissed.
These DC Metro area rolks are world class. What a shame.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090202363.html

[KeepItReal]

10. You are right! They are underutilized at best, turned away at worst!

"FEMA are obstructionists" is becoming my motto

[BenTrem]

5. And the need continues

I just posted a story to my LiveJournal resources list ... which I don't normally do ... but it's upsetting to see how folk are hurting.

http://www.nola.com/weblogs/nola/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_nolaview/archives/2005_09.html">"Rescues needed immediately / ASAP"

regards
hfx_ben

p.s. my resources list and wiki:
http://hfx_ben.livejournal.com/587881.html
http://wiki.nola-intel.org/index.php/Main_Page

[autorank]

7. Great stuff...Interdictor...what a great thing...up close

Keep up the good work.

[pnorman]

6. Where is the news item that mentioned that?

WHO turned them away, and what "reason" was given? Where & how did they try to enter?

pnorman
On edit: I wrote before seeing the answer to my (perhaps overly-suspicious) questions. I have the answers and more. Thanks, I'll use them to good effect.

[autorank]

8. Here it is.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090202363.html

They just reported the misuse or rejection of outstanding resources. And there's more. Mayor Daley of Chicago had 200 public health folks ready roll--doctors, nurses, meds, logistics to set up a real public health operation for everybody. Oops, they couldn't "get invited."

Glad to see the CA Guard there. They interviewed a few and said they REALLY WANTED TO COME. Must make the survivors feel good.

[burrowowl]

9. Bu$h and his ilk

want poor people to die. They are murderers, pire and simple.

[FormerRepublican]

11. The reason for this travesty?

The Governor of Mississippi is Haley Barbour, former head of the Republican Party, and the US Senator is Trent Lott, former Republican leader of the Senate.

In short, BushCo redirected help from the HORRENDOUS crisis in New Orleans to help out their cronies in Mississippi. In BushCo America, politics trumps American lives every time.

And some people still wonder if the Bush response to Katrina was criminally negligent homicide.

[autorank]

12. You're right, in all likelihood. The MS people were raving about

the Fairfax Team. The team, of course, really wanted to be in NOLA, they're big game guys and gals. Amazing.

Haley Barbour needs to wear a Burka...he is one ugly mofo!

[Julius Civitatus]

13. I think you may be up to something

I wouldn't put it past those people to send the good resources to clear up Trent Lott's property, instead of sending them to rescue poor folks in NOLA.

[kestrel91316]

14. This is beyond insane.

I don't just want * impeached and removed, I want him HORSEWHIPPED!!!!!! And then thrown to the alligators.

[autorank]

16. It is. A cop buddy told me and I couldn't believe it. Amazing.

These people, and the two other VA/MD (DC Metro) teams were really pumped, ready to do the job. You just don't find that many people who live to help under these circumstances. Crazy!!!

[MissMarple]

17. WHO TURNED THEM AWAY?

What is going on here? It just makes no sense. Not one bit. What is happening?

[autorank]

20. Well, that's a great question.

The Fairfax team has a "partnership" arrangement with FEMA. It's just understood that they'll go and do extremely well, no complaints, great work ethic. Blows my mind that this is my county (and we are BLUE!).

So which asshat said no? The perpetrators are forming the circular firing squad. We'll see who is left standing.

[FormerRepublican]

18. My email to the WaPo regarding this Bush screw-up.

"I read your story with interest. But I think there was more than bad communication involved in the disgraceful response of our Federal Government to the Katrina disaster.

In your article, you said that "A Fairfax County search and rescue squad has spent much of the week assigned to an area of Mississippi that was not among the regions most devastated by Katrina. As of Thursday evening, they had found no victims."

Keep in mind that Mississippi has Governor Haley Barbour, former head of the Republican Party, as well as Senator Trent Lott, former Republican head of the Senate. Louisiana, in contrast, was represented mainly by Democrats.

In Bush America, partisan politics is far more important than thousands of American lives. Especially when those lives are poor and black. Recall Rove's comment on the exposure of Valerie Plame after Ambassador Wilson's story in the New York Times - 'he's a democrat.' Partisan politics was more important to the Bush Administration than exposure of a years long effort by the CIA to track WMD and the inevitable damage to national security.

NOTHING is more important to them than politics. I find that to be a horrifying fact about our present Administration. In real world America, their actions in this instance would be prosecuted for Criminally Negligent Homicide. But in Bush America, the criminals run the country.

Please continue to bring these important stories to light."

To add your voice to mine:

[e-mail]
[e-mail]

[autorank]

19. Great, thank you. You have to do this for the WaPost. They're all

steno's. Bush must have pics of the publisher with a pet goat or something. They won't go near the guy. And, the one who tried, tepidly at best, Dana Milbank, was turned -- as per his insulting, disgraceful column on the Downing Street Memo hearings.

Even though they don't do the right thing, these letters shame them and "that's a good thing."

:hi:

[autorank]

21. Here's their resume -- it's worth a look. And they were turned down!

Click here to see their amazing resume. They could have run the whole NOLA rescue, seriously. These people are amazing.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[MelissaB]

22. When will this end?

I so upset with the incompetence. :cry:

Edited to add: What the hell is wrong that things are so disorganized?