"Plan ahead: It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark." — Cardinal Richard Cushing.
Noah knew something would happen, and his preparation proved to be the most important decision he ever made.
As I pen this editorial, we are currently entering the third week of recovery from Hurricane Ida. To be witness to this amount of devastation is sobering. From coastal communities to as far inland as the Baton Rouge region, the damage caused by wind, rain and storm surge was as widespread as I have ever witnessed. Ida didn't stop in Louisiana; she mercilessly moved across the U.S. wreaking havoc and, unfortunately, claiming human lives in her path.
Preparation for hurricane season has always been at the forefront for government agencies and businesses alike. Every painstaking minute of proper planning and preparation is so extremely vital. Why? Because in time, your plan will be tested. The question then becomes, were "all the boxes checked" in your preparation? Have you clearly identified partners who have the mitigation resources and assets in place? Inevitably, something will be overlooked and leave you ill prepared. Where will you turn when communities and industry are inundated with water, power grids are knocked completely offline, and potable water is compromised?
US Fire Pump's emergency response division has been in preparation for times like these since its inception. Investing in our fleet has been at the forefront of all our planning. We boast the largest fleet of emergency response equipment globally and have firefighting and Haz-Mat specialists on standby for when duty calls.
As Hurricane Ida moved into the Gulf of Mexico, our teams prepared for quick action and, immediately after Ida's landfall, responded to numerous calls for assistance. At the time of writing, we are still conducting dewatering operations for industry inundated by overtopped levees and storm surge. To date, our submersible and boost pumps have pumped more than a half-billion gallons of water during operations. Where industry lost critical fire water pumping systems, we quickly established temporary systems by moving mobile boost pumps and large diameter hose into place.
In addition, where critical water infrastructure supply was compromised, our teams provided potable water tankers to government buildings, prisons, hospitals and medical research labs. Calls for mobile lodging, restrooms, showers and laundry facilities for out-of-state urban search and rescue and emergency response teams were in desperate need, and our mobile temporary facilities helped fill the void. The power generation needed to properly run the facilities accompanied these mobile units. With our diverse fleet of response equipment ready, all calls for service were fulfilled. When future storms again threaten disaster, US Fire Pump will have its equipment ready to respond.
US Fire Pump's in-house engineers and experts can assist your team with disaster crisis management protocols and emergency response planning and training. Our team of firefighting and Haz-Mat specialists are ready to respond to your emergencies 24/7.
Be like Noah; be prepared.
For more information, contact Jonny Carroll at jonny@usfirepump.com or call (504) 235-2938. For 24/7 emergency assistance, call (225) 209-6551.
