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July 11, 2005
Shelley Szafraniec, APR
Community Information Specialist

VOLUSIA COUNTY WATER RESCUE TEAM DEPLOYS TO PANHANDLE AREA

Fourteen members of Volusia County’s Task Force 9, swift water and flood rescue team, have deployed to a staging area in Havana to assist with search and rescue efforts in the Panhandle area of Florida.

The members were staged in the area to assist with rescues in the flood impacted parts of the Panhandle said Volusia County Fire Services Deputy Chief Frank Pocica, the county coordinator for the Florida Fire Chief’s state emergency response plan, and Deputy Chief Kathy Weaver, the region five representative for the Florida Association of Search and Rescue.

The members are: Gerard Krallinger, Tom McDonough, Shannon Prachniak, Kyle Schloss, Merlin Stephenson (Volusia County Fire Services), Beach Patrol officers Tom McGibney, Tami Marris, Todd Snipes, John Texter, and Lee Tremel, county Corrections officers Mike Gallencamp and Ralph Seltz, and Mike Hayes and Ron Hayward from Edgewater Fire Rescue.

In addition, Commander Carlos Galarza, Volusia County Fire Services, has been tasked to work in the area with Task Force 4 as a logistics officer.

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