By FALON MCCAIN
Belleville News-Democrat
Southern hospitality is what drove area volunteer firefighters while deployed recently in Louisiana.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, Division 32 -- composed of 40 volunteer fire departments in St. Clair County -- provided station coverage in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and gained new friends in the process.
“They treated us like kings down there,” said Jared Viviano, of the East Side Fire Protection District. “When we left, they gave us hugs, not handshakes. We exchanged numbers and I’ve contacted some of the guys since we’ve been home.”
The group recently returned after spending two weeks in the hurricane zone.
Bill Beckert, of the Lebanon Fire Department, said, “Everyone was verbally appreciative. In one neighborhood in St. Rose, all the kids drew pictures with thank-you notes and hung them up in the windows of the houses.”
This was just a taste of the special treatment the mutual aid team received. Their southern hosts kept them feasting on well-known Louisiana dishes. They enjoyed jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice, and had grits every morning for breakfast. The biggest meal, coined “the last supper” by the Louisiana firemen, included extra-large catfish, steaks and baked potatoes.
But the entire trip wasn’t easy going. The firefighters responded to more than 30 calls -- six of which were working fires. The group dealt with automatic fire alarms going off, fallen electric lines and wrecked automobiles. They even encountered looters.
“We were stationed in an area with a lot of wind damage,” said Lee Smith, “but I went down in the Delta with a personal liaison -- Louisiana State University instructor Lacy Crow -- and saw areas of total obliteration.”
The team relieved full-time Louisiana firemen from their duties. They had been on call since days before the storm. The area’s volunteer firemen had been told to evacuate.
“These guys were amazing for what they went through,” Beckert said. “The roof of Engine House No. 3 in Harvey had been entirely blown off, and these guys were upbeat and ready to get a temporary roof on.”
Smith added, “I didn’t meet one crabby person. They were so nice to us.”
The Louisiana firefighters were taken by the MABAS team as well.
Viviano said, “They were impressed with our firefighting capabilities. We had very quick knock downs on fires and no one got hurt. They called us the Illinois Bulldogs.”
Initially, the men were idle for three days.
“When we arrived, we were in a staging area for two days. By the 8th (of September), another task force was attached with us and we were sent to Harvey and Terry Town, but we still didn’t have assignments,” said Smith.
The stench of rotting garbage, meat and presence of extremely large insects added to the frustration the men felt after feeling useless for three days. Nonetheless, the crew was relieved to be there.
“It was frustrating watching all this go on down there and not being able to do anything,” Smith said.
“So when we got the call to go down, we were ready. This deployment was one of those once-in-a-career things that happens,” Smith said.
Including Division 32, 600 Illinois firemen were mobilized in 24 hours to be deployed to various parts of Louisiana. The East Side Volunteer Fire Department provided an engine, and support vehicles were provided by the Swansea and O’Fallon Fire Departments. Division 32 assisted in the distribution of more than 1,500 cases of drinking water, 2,500 meals and 2,500 bags of ice. Overall, the crew thought the trip was very successful and was proud to have been a part of the mission.
“We made so many friends -- family really -- and this made our group closer. We did what had to be done, made people proud of us and came home,” Viviano said.