***MEDIA ADVISORY***

NEW YORK CITY FIREFIGHTERS RECEIVE FULL
MEDICAL EXAMS AFTER RETURNING FROM
HURRICANE RELIEF DEPLOYMENT IN NEW ORLEANS

The New York City Fire Department tomorrow will be performing full medical examinations for 130 firefighters and officers who have returned to New York City from their deployment to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The FDNY medical staff will be performing these exams as a precautionary measure to protect against possible exposures while operating in the flood ravaged Gulf Coast region. The evaluations will include a full medical examination along with complete blood work.

In the coming months, doctors will continue to track the health of firefighters who assisted in the relief efforts. Before being deployed, firefighters were provided with vaccinations for tetanus, diptheria and hepatitis.

***THE FDNY IS SENDING AN ADDITIONAL 130 FIREFIGHTERS TO NEW ORLEANS TOMORROW MORNING. THE GROUP WILL BE DEPLOYED FROM THE DEPARTMENT’S TRAINING ACADEMY AT RANDALL’S ISLAND . MEDIA AVAILABILITY FROM 8 TO 10 AM

 ***ON SATURDAY NIGHT, ANOTHER GROUP OF 150 FIREFIGHTERS WILL BE RETURNING TO NYC FROM NEW ORLEANS. (NO MEDIA AVAILABILITY AT THIS TIME.)

 ***A TOTAL OF MORE THAN 600 FDNY MEMBERS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED TO THE GULF COAST REGION, AND THE DEPARTMENTS COMMITMENT OF PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH THE END OF SEPTEMBER.

Contact: Francis X. Gribbon and Sethe Andrews (FDNY) (718) 999-2056

http://www.nyc.gov/fdny