Spirit EMS sending relief help to Florida

VW independent staff/submitted information

GREENVILLE — Spirit EMS is answering the call and is responding to a request for assistance after Hurricane Ian made landfall later along the Florida coast.

As Spirit has sent seven ambulances and 14 crew members along with additional medical supplies. Spirit anticipates the crews will be on a 14-day activation, but that can change as the situation evolves. The crews will stay in the area as long as needed. When the crews arrive at their assigned staging area, they will be working under the guidance of FEMA, state, and local EMS agencies.

Five ambulances from Spirit left Monday afternoon and two left Tuesday afternoon, during two phases of deployment activations by AMR.

“As first responders, we provide care to those in need, so we help provide assistance to residents and communities being impacted by this incoming storm as people are being asked to evaculate,” said Brian K. Hathaway, President/CEO of Spirit EMS. “While we are deploying resources to stage away from the main path of the storm, this will not affect our ability to continue providing medical care for the areas we serve across west central Ohio and eastern Indiana.”

The president also shared the company sends a mix of full-time employees and part-time special event and disaster relief personnel, whenever they are activated for a deployment.

“It’s a privilege for our family of professionals to be a part of these deployments whenever the need arises,” Hathaway explained. “We have a group of dedicated employees who remain ready should the call for a deployment occur. On Monday afternoon when we were activated, everyone that was called up to respond arrived on station and were ready to respond within a couple of hours. It’s gratifying to see the support their friends and family show as they head off on these missions.”

He shared that employees from several of the stations the company has across Ohio and Indiana are represented on this deployment. Spirit has stations in Greenville, Celina, Houston, Sidney, Van Wert, and Liberty, Indiana.