Warren County Firefighters leave for South Louisiana to help with Hurricane Ida relief

Published 4:14 pm Friday, September 3, 2021

Five Warren County firefighters left Vicksburg about 9 a.m. on Friday on a mission to relieve firefighters in South Louisiana as the area cleans up in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

The five-man team of Vicksburg firefighters Capt. Jimmy Cogan, Fire Investigator Nathaniel Williams, Lt. Josh Davies, Lt. Demetriuse Claiborne and Culkin firefighter Chuck Tate left in two Vicksburg pickups packed with equipment. Tate drove a Culkin Volunteer Fire Department tanker to provide a water source, should the team be in an area that has no water service.

The team arrived in Harvey, La., on Friday evening.

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Vicksburg Fire Chief Craig Danczyk said the team will work in its assigned area for seven days before returning to Vicksburg. He said other firefighters have been selected for future deployments depending on the need by Louisiana.

State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, who is also state fire marshal, said the Warren County team is one of 16 teams of Mississippi firefighters providing relief to South Louisiana firefighters so they can get rest and take care of their property.

Chaney said several teams, including a search and rescue team from the Mississippi Fire Academy, are already serving in several areas of Louisiana — Terrebonne Parish, the Grand Isle area and Chalmette.

Chaney said the fire academy team is able to deploy Federal Aviation Administration-certified drones for search and rescue. Each drone, he said, is operated by a certified operator.

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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