MCF-Faribault Staff & IPs Assist with Flooding Efforts!
By Captain Melissa Paquette
On June 23rd, DOC's assistance was requested from the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to help with sandbagging efforts in Waterville, MN due to extensive flooding. MCF-FRB Dakota minimum IPs and staff answered the call on June 24-25 by deploying 75 IPs each day to the location. In addition to the IPs, more than 30 staff assisted to make this happen, some working side by side with the IPs both days to provide much needed assistance to the community.
To say that staff and IPs knocked it out of the park would be an understatement! Food Services had 150 bag lunches made for the IPs each day. Central Transport staff not only provided transportation for staff/IPs both days but also assisted during the day and provided supervision. FRB's Safety Administrator ensured that orange t-shirts/vests/work gloves/sunglasses/sunscreen were provided to all IPs. Property staff ensured all IP workers were outfitted with work boots prior to leaving on the first day. Dakota Unit staff generated count sheets and face sheets each morning and also assisted with getting IPs on the buses each morning. Watch Commanders & Lieutenants assisted with communicating the plan out to staff, hired for staff coverage and organized/contacted SORT Team members. ICWC Crew Leaders, SORT Team, Minimum Case Manager, Minimum Lieutenant, Minimum Captain and K9 all provided onsite coverage/supervision throughout the event.
Due to the hard work and extreme heat on day one, I was fully anticipating that several IPs would elect to stay back on day two but that was not the case. We had more IP volunteers than were requested by SEOC ready and willing to serve the following day! At the completion of day one, we were able to drive the IPs around the area so they could have a firsthand look at the flooding devastation; this definitely gave them a better understanding of the important work they were doing.
I can't speak highly enough about the hard work and dedication that staff and IPs displayed during this time. The Emergency Management Team and volunteers onsite had many positive things to say about the entire group and expressed their appreciation for the assistance that DOC provided. We definitely worked together as one unified team and I'm so proud to have been a part of this emergency response. It was an amazing effort to witness!
Thank you to all of these staff that assisted in various ways: Josh Sterling, Ryan Hanson, Nicholas Duffy, Greg Heldt, James Grundman, Kevin Cory, Timothy Twite, Alex Bultman, Rich Cap, Sarah Kreger-Dias Abeygunawardena, Shawn Wegman, Nathan Wegman, Brad Connolly, Nicholas Cline, Tyson Taghon & K9, Joseph Ernste, Cody Hall, Brandon Thibodeau, Kurtis Crosby, William Deike, Ben Wheelock, Jesse Mowers, Mathieu Richer, Anthony Sunde, Benjamin Enerson, Joshua Kilanowski, Andy DuBois, Jacob Wilkemeyer, Paul Banon, Preston Burns, Jess Brandt and Amy Cyr.
