Emergency liaisons deploy to crisis center for Hurricane Wilma

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Lisa Citino
  • 1st Air Force Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR F FORCE BASE, Fla. --  When disaster strikes -- natural or manmade -- a cadre of experts called emergency preparedness liaison officers deploy ready to respond rapidly and aggressively.

Providing behind-the-scene or front-line support, EPLOs are the Air Force National Security Emergency Preparedness Agency’s conduit to bringing Air Force capabilities to a relief effort, during or in anticipation of disaster recovery operations.

For Hurricane Wilma, the Air Force has already deployed EPLOs to 1st Air Force here. The organization is prepared to provide command and control capabilities for the Air Force, if called upon, as it did during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“EPLOs provide the face of the Air Force to FEMA and state emergency operations,” said Col. Jeff Theulen, an EPLO deployed here from Iowa. “We work at every stage of relief efforts to provide Air Force support to local, state and federal partners.”

When requested by FEMA and approved by the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force may provide unique assets for rescue, relief and recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Wilma. EPLOs help coordinate the use of military personnel, equipment and supplies between FEMA and the Air Force.

Mostly Reservists from Department of Defense service components, EPLOs are geographically assigned to each state and 10 FEMA regional offices, coming from a wide range of career fields, including air operations, logistics, medicine, security forces, and public affairs.

“EPLOs play a vital role in helping us bring our unique military capabilities to the relief effort,” said Col. Michael A. Jefferson, 1st AF crisis action team director. “However, to best provide this level of support, we need to identify the needs of our local, state and federal customers, and that’s where the EPLOs come in. They stay in close contact with government officials, identifying their requirements, and offering solutions and capabilities the military has to fit the situation.”

During Hurricane Katrina and Rita, the Air Force deployed 67 EPLOs to 18 local, state and federal agencies and throughout affected areas.