A pair of first responders with the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District are out on the East Coast helping with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in the aftermath left by the storm in late September.
Paramedic Jon Haner and emergency medical technician Jake Rhoades were initially deployed to Greenville, South Carolina, before being moved to North Carolina’s Lake Lure area, about 50 miles southeast of Asheville, according to a Monday news release from American Medical Response, Inc., which oversees emergency medical services, air ambulance services and disaster responses nationwide.
“Upper Pine River Fire anticipates the crews will provide support for 14 days, but that can change as the situation evolves. The crews will stay in the area as long as needed,” the release said.
Multiple phone calls made to Upper Pine Fire Chief Bruce Evans seeking comment were not immediately successful. The Durango Herald also made a request with AMR to interview Haner and/or Rhoades.
The hurricane relief team has been on the ground for over three weeks, and Haner is serving as a strike team leader, the release said.
More than 90 people are still thought to be missing in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said during a Tuesday news conference. More than 120 people in North Carolina have died as a result of the storm.
“The importance of our network partners like Upper Pine River Fire can’t be overstated,” Phillip Mongeau, vice president and chief of emergency management for AMR Office of Emergency Management, said in the release. “Their collaboration allows us to provide hope and healing to the communities hardest hit by these storms, and we value Upper Pine River Fire’s clinicians and resources working as part of our teams to meet urgent healthcare needs in the hill country of North Carolina.”
mhollinshead@durangoherald.com
