Fire Departments Prepare for Hurricane Matthew

Fire departments along the East Coast have spent much of this week preparing for Hurricane Matthew as it was expected to damage the East Coast Friday.

One person died in St. Lucie County, FL, early Friday and over 275 people died in three Caribbean countries, according to CNN.

Firefighters battled high winds as they tackled a greenhouse fire near Indialantic early Friday morning. 

Officials believe an early morning house fire in Satellite Beach was started by downed power lines.

The community's water supply was shut off as Matthew approached and firefighters had difficulty fighting the fire, according to Florida Today.

Preparation in Florida

Orange County, FL, Fire Rescue provided ambulances and crews as part of a strike team effort to evacuate a hospitals in Rockledge, OCFR spokesperson Kathleen Kennedy told Firehouse.com. 

Firefighters and inspectors went door-to-door at over 3,500 mobile homes in Orange County on Thursday to notify residents of mandatory evacuations. They informed residents of the need to leave and left flyers at homes where no answer was received.

They also utilized a public address system to get the message out as the storm neared.

South Carolina communities prepare for the worst

In coastal Burton, SC, Thursday, firefighters prepared their equipment and monitored evacuation routes where the storm is expected to make landfall later on Friday.

“We brought in a few additional personnel who helped and they were concentrating on medical emergencies for people who might go into distress during evacuations,” Burton Fire spokesman Daniel Byrne told Firehouse.com Thursday night.

“We placed a Quick Response Vehicle on the road so crews could get to people quickly and while we were anticipating the problem, everything went relatively smoothly.”

Byrne said Burton firefighters responded to a house fire Thursday morning and believes that the residents had already evacuated.

“We’re prepping now,” Byrne said Thursday night. “Friday we will bring in a total recall of personnel and staff all the reserve apparatus.”

Crews will be conducting windshield surveys Friday to determine who did not evacuate.

“We hope that will give us a good idea of where we could have problems should flooding occur.”

The storm is expected to pack winds in excess of 60 mph with storm surges between five and 10 feet and hit during high tide.

Once winds are sustained at 45 mph, Byrne said all fire, law and EMS crews will respond to a designated shelter.

Byrne said most of the firefighters’ families evacuated the area on Tuesday or Wednesday and firefighters have been taking care of last minute preparations at their homes when time allows.

About 120 miles north, firefighters at Midway Fire Rescue in Pawleys Island, SC, were readying their equipment for a dangerous mix of rain, storm surge and wind.

"This is not going to be good," Midway Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Jim Crawford told Firehouse.com Friday afternoon.

The latest data on the storm indicates that Pawleys Island will receive over a foot of rain and the storm surge, which is expected to be between eight and 10 feet, will hit overnight when high tide is expected. Winds are predicated to be in excess of 60 mph.

"We have brought in all 60 members and all of our water rescue resources are staffed," Crawford said. The department operates a fire boat, three jon boats, three jet skis and a Zodiac. 

Local police officers were talking with residents who refused the mandatory evacuation and told them that there would be a point when fire and rescue personnel would not be able to help them.

"There's going to be a point in time - when the winds are sustained at 50 mph - that we don't open the doors. We'll be forced to shelter in place until the winds subside."

Crawford said they requested vehicles for high-water rescue from the National Guard to be placed at all stations so firefighters could assess the area once the storm leaves the area.

State and federal resources activated

Georgia Search and Rescue West Central Task Force 4A has been activated to respond with boats and specialized equipment to the Georgia coast.

FEMA activated Pennsylvania Task Force 1 and an 80-person team will respond to Florida.

"Of course a lot of the task force members are Philadelphia firefighters, medics, EMTs, other partners," Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel told 6ABC.com. "We have a lot of people, though, who are members who come from all over."

Indiana Task Force 1 has also been deployed to Florida while New York Task Force 1, comprised of New York City fire and police crews, is headed to a staging point in Georgia.