Ex-Mundelein fire chief assisting in FEMA's Haiti effort

Former Mundelein fire chief Randy Justus was scheduled to be in Washington, D.C., today to assist a federal agency in its Haiti relief efforts.

Disaster assistance is nothing new to Justus, who retired as Mundelein's fire chief in late 2006. He was among the first wave of 600 Illinois firefighters dispatched to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

Justus will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency at its Washington headquarters from today through Sunday. He also helped FEMA last weekend, with the connection coming from the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

Similar to his first trip, Justus expects to assist at FEMA's National Response Coordination Center in safety, logistics, planning and other areas related to Haiti.

"We actually came up with a plan where things are being barged in," said Justus, who's been a full-time fire science instructor at College of Lake County in Grayslake since August.

Justus said barges have proven more effective in transporting vehicles to Haiti instead of depending on airplanes.

Part of the mission at FEMA is streamlining and setting priorities for help being directed from the United States to Haiti. Justus said the work at FEMA has been exciting and is having a positive effect on the Haiti effort.

"It's quite an honor that I would even be called," Justus said.

Separately, the International Association of Fire Chiefs and United States Fire Administration organizations have issued statements urging members to not attempt relief efforts on their own in Haiti.