Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Carmen Fleischmann | Maj. Gen. James O. Eifert, The Adjutant General of Florida (right) meets with Division...... read more read more
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Starke, Fla. (June 11, 2019) – Ahead of any threatening hurricane or potential natural disaster, the governor of Florida has the authority to activate the state’s National Guard. Since the numbers and specific equipment needed might vary depending on the severity of the threat, it is vital for senior leaders at the state level and the Division of Emergency Management to understand the force’s capabilities.
With that goal in mind, the Adjutant General of Florida Maj. Gen. James O. Eifert and key Florida National Guard leaders met with DEM Director Jared Moskowitz today at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center post headquarters.
Joined by Legislative Affairs Director Jared Rosenstein and Chief of Staff Jon Bussey, Moskowitz was briefed on the successes and lessons dating back to the state’s response after destructive Hurricane Irma, the largest response effort in state history, and last year’s category 5 storm, Hurricane Michael, that wreaked havoc on the Florida panhandle.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to work directly with the Director of Emergency Management and explain to him how the Florida National Guard is postured to respond to hurricane season and make sure that we’re basically on the same sheet of music before we respond to the next disaster,” said one of the briefers, Lt. Col. Blake Heidelberg, Director of Military Support. “The citizens can rest assured that we’re ready this year.”
Following the extensive briefing, Moskowitz and his entourage toured Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in a UH-60 L Blackhawk flown by members of 1st Battalion, 185th Aviation Regiment from Brooksville. Director of Plans, Operations and Training for CBJTC, Lt. Col. Shep Allen, narrated the tour over a headset while the group flew over the vast training area.
Seeing Florida National Guard capabilities in black and white, along with touring the location built specifically for training and operations solidified the director’s trust in the organization and gave him confidence that the citizens of Florida are in good hands during throughout the next months, the peak of hurricane season.
“There is no question that the Guard has proven, tested and succeeded overwhelmingly in the last two years with both Irma and Michael,” said the director. “The confidence that I have in the Guard didn’t just come from today’s briefing, it also comes from in the field, the Guard delivering and stepping up for the state. Where we have an inability to deliver logistics and support, the Guard comes in and backfills us. Without the Guard … I don’t know what the department would have done.”
026 - Maj. Gen. James O. Eifert, The Adjutant General of Florida (right) meets with Department of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz (left) at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center's post headquarters to discuss the Florida National Guard's natural disaster response capabilities.
097- Director Moskowitz and his entourage tour Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in a UH-60 L Blackhawk flown by members of 1st Battalion, 185th Aviation Regiment from Brooksville. Director of Plans, Operations and Training for CBJTC, Lt. Col. Shep Allen, narrates the tour over a headset while the group flew over the vast training area.
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2019 17:37 |
| Story ID: | 326794 |
| Location: | STARKE, FL, US |
| Hometown: | TALLAHASSEE, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 433 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Director of Emergency Management, senior leaders talk Florida Guard capabilities before peak hurricane season, by SFC Carmen Fleischmann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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