Local fire departments head to Florida to assist in Hurricane Milton relief

Firefighters from Elgin and several other local departments will be among the boots on the ground in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

Fire Chief Robb Cagann told the Elgin City Council on Wednesday that three members of his department and an engine were leaving for Tallahassee Wednesday night as part of a “strike team” that includes firefighters and trucks from Carpentersville, North Aurora, South Elgin, West Dundee and the Rutland-Dundee Fire Protection District.

A strike team is made up of five of the same type of vehicle with four people on each. Illinois is sending three strike teams with a total of 60 firefighters, including 10 chief officers.

Cagann said Illinois is on “the cutting edge” of mutual aid in the country and that “Elgin is right in the middle of it and participating as much as we can.”

The Emergency Management Assistance Compact request came at about 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to Cagann. EMAC is a national interstate mutual aid agreement that enables states to share resources during disasters.

Cagann said that on previous mutual aid trips they’ve made for storms, such as Hurricane Katrina, they typically take over fire stations to provide relief for local first responders.

The initial deployment will last 15 days, though it could be extended.

“For us to have the ability to take our equipment and our resources down there and utilize the size of our department is a really credit to the city of Elgin,” he said.

FEMA reimburses departments for the deployment.