A Miramar College adjunct professor was among three San Diego Fire-Rescue firefighters injured in an accident in east Texas on Sept. 29 on the way to aid relief efforts from Hurricane Helene.
Aide Barbat, a battalion chief, was traveling to North Carolina as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Urban Search & Rescue California Task Force 8. The group included several local firefighters, emergency-room doctors, a structural engineer and others. While en route to assist with search and rescue efforts three members of the crew were involved in a serious car accident.
The other firefighters injured in the accident were Captains Greg Davies and Jesse Schultz. Schultz has since returned home. Barbat and Davies remain hospitalized in Louisiana, with the latest updates saying they remain in critical condition. The exact details of the injuries have not been released. The rest of Task Force 8 has since returned to San Diego.
California Task Force 8 has been deployed to assist in previous natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina. The 48-person team was set to aid as water rescue specialists in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. The Task Force planned to drive across the country to North Carolina in a 18-vehicle fleet. The injured firefighters were all traveling in the same vehicle.
Barbat is part of Miramar College’s Fire Protection Technology program. The program is headed by Professor Darren Hall, and “offers degrees and certificates in a number of fields associated with the technology of fire protection, rescue, and public safety” (Miramar).
The recent hurricanes making their way through Eastern states have left trails of damage in their wake. Most recently Hurricane Helene hit the South-Eastern coast of the country, with the vast majority of the damage reaching unprepared areas such as North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. Emergency response teams were deployed from all across the country to assist in the aftermath of the storm.
Firefighter Aid set up a donation platform for the three affected families. To support the firefighters follow the link here.
