Minnesota Firefighters To Aid Louisiana Communities Damaged by Ida

Twenty-two Minnesota firefighters are deploying to Louisiana as people continue to recover from Hurricane Ida. Nine departments are sending personnel to assist with local fire protection in areas where local firefighters have been on duty since the storm hit. Not only are those local firefighters exhausted, but they also need to attend to their own damaged properties and take care of their families.

Gov. Tim Walz authorized the 18-day mission following a request from Louisiana officials through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which is a mutual aid agreement between all 50 states. A requesting state asks for resources (people, equipment, etc.) based on their needs. Agencies in other states with those resources are able to respond to those requests. HSEM coordinates the state's EMAC requests.

The last time Minnesota firefighters deployed to another state was in September 2020 when they went to Oregon to assist in extinguishing the Slater Fire. Read Gov. Walz's EMAC news release.​

September is National Preparedness Month

Each September, ​National Preparedness Month raises awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. The 2021 theme is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love." Each week in September, the campaign will focus on a different aspect of preparedness for individuals, families and communities. 

Throughout the month, we encourage you to share preparedness tools and resources with your family, friends, and loved ones. By working together today, we can ensure we are all prepared for the natural and human-made threats of tomorrow. Together, we can build a culture of preparedness! 

Visit the National Preparedness Month webpage.​​

You Can Help Protect Schools with a New App

No matter where or how your child learns, their school should be among the places you all feel safest. And although you can and should depend on law enforcement to ensure that safety, the fact is that it's a team effort. After all, law enforcement has always relied on the public to report threatened criminal activity. As a way to facilitate that teamwork, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) uses an app called See It, Say It, Send It. 

In our latest blog​, learn how the app works, why HSEM's Minnesota School Center is partnering with the BCA, and where to download the app.