Rescue team heads to Perry, Ga., to help victims of Hurricane Matthew

Shortly after 2 p.m. Friday, a trooper with the Georgia State Patrol led a convoy of nine Georgia Search and Rescue West Central Task Force 4A vehicles from the Public Safety Center to a training center in Perry, Ga.

The 83-mile trip to the Guardian Centers is the first step for the highly trained Task Force as Hurricane Matthew moves up the east coast. Robert Futrell, assistant chief of the Columbus Fire and Emergency Medical Services and leader of the Task Force with about 36 personnel, said the team probably won’t get its assignment in Georgia until late Friday or early Saturday.

“We are always concerned,” Futrell said. “We are going into an area that’s unknown. We don’t know how bad the devastation is going to be. The guys are well trained and they are motivated. I think they are going to do well.”

Capt. Scott Boatner, a 28-year veteran firefighter from Fire Station No. 1, said he’s excited to possibly deploy on the Georgia coast. “Until the actual storm hits, nobody knows what to expect,” he said before the convoy departed. “They are going to have to do an evaluation once we get staged. I feel excited. I don’t want to see damage and things that come with a storm. I hope we are able to turnaround because there is not any. But if you’re able to help, I’d love to be the one to help.”

Boatner said all firefighters on the Task Force are trained in everything from trench to high-angle rescue. “That is why you train to be ready so you can help,” he said.

Deputy Mike Higgins is part of the team but his group is on the November schedule so he will stay home. He watched from the median at Sixth Avenue and 10th Street as the team departed. He has been part of the unit since it started seven years ago.

“ I believe they are cautious about it, “ he said. “Of the unknown, we really don’t know yet until it happens.”

The team is one of eight in Georgia . It is deployed through the Georgia Emergency Management Agency for regional emergencies such as hurricanes, floods, industrial accidents, terrorist attacks or any other natural or man-made disaster that requires highly skilled search and rescue personnel.

This story was originally published October 7, 2016 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Rescue team heads to Perry, Ga., to help victims of Hurricane Matthew."