By Olivia Drake, HVFC Public Information Officer
(November 5, 2024) — Haddam Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Chief Jed Morrissey recently returned from North Carolina where he assisted with multiple missions in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Jed, who also is a career firefighter with Guilford Fire Department, was deployed on September 25, 2024 with Massachusetts Task Force 1 (MA-TF1) as a rescue specialist. FEMA activated the 45-member team as part of federal response.
(Photo above provided by MA-TF1: Haddam Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Chief Jed Morrissey, at far left, pictured here with other Connecticut residents who deployed with the Massachusetts Task Force 1 team).
The group arrived on September 26th and established a base of operations in Cherokee, North Carolina. They immediately started operations assigned by the State.
Jed and his teammates completed missions in Haywood, Buncombe, Henderson and Madison counties working in cooperation with local, state, and federal teams, initially providing search and rescue capabilities and then transitioning to search and recovery operations. MA-TF1 members saw firsthand the destruction and devastation Helene left in its wake: entire neighborhoods washed away, and entire towns inundated with flood waters.
“It was extremely humbling meeting so many families on the worst day of their lives. We do it all the time at work, but their entire towns and counties were wiped out,” Jed recalls. “It’s going to be a long road to recovery for the people of western North Carolina, but it’s clear that the residents are all so resilient.”
During the deployment, MA-TF1 collaborated with federal law enforcement teams from the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the Department of Transportation-OIG for force protection. All together, the MA-TF1 and other urban search and rescue task forces assisted with: 750 rescues; 765 evacuations; 100 pet evacuations; and 135,000 damage observations. The teams interacted with approximately 5,800 North Carolina residents.
“The people on the MA-TF1 aren’t only the best technicians in their discipline, they are also incredible humans,” Jed says. “While it was a long deployment, if activated again tomorrow the team would roster and be on the road to help whatever community needed us.”
Haddam Volunteer Fire Company thanks DC Morrissey for his service!
