DeKALB | Last year during Labor Day weekend, the DeKalb Fire Department sent firefighters to New Orleans to help clean up the disaster Hurricane Katrina left behind. Bruce V. Harrison, assistant fire chief of operations, aided in the leadership of the project. One year later, the Northern Star asked him about his encounter.

Northern Star: When were you deployed to the New Orleans area?

Bruce V. Harrison: The Sunday before Labor Day last year [Sept. 3, 2005].

NS: How has your trip to New Orleans changed your life?

BH: I haven’t spoke too much about the experience down there probably until just recently. I think the reason we need to talk about it is because I think people need to be aware of the situation because we forget too easily. Once it is off the TV screen, people forget. It will be an experience I won’t forget. There are still people down there I talk about and am concerned about. I have probably read and picked up any document related to it, because you just feel a strong emotional attachment to the community and to the people. One thing I have learned is that the fire department cannot do it alone, and the police department cannot do it alone.

NS: How long did you work with the relief effort there?

BH: The Illinois firefighters made three two-week deployments. I, personally, was down on the first assignment for about 17 days, came home for about five or six days, and went back down for about 18 days.

NS: Have you kept in touch with the people you met there?

BH: Several [from] the New Orleans Fire Department, some are the command officers that I still see [on] occasion and talk to regularly. The people down there were awesome. They have all kinds and take all kinds [of people].

NS: Can you explain the level of devastation? What could you compare it to in your experience as a firefighter?

BH: Nothing, from my experience. There is no comparison. It numbs you when you go down there. Everywhere you look, you see nothing but disaster.

NS: How has the trip and return affected your family and friends?

BH: That group there (Harrison pointed to a group picture of the firefighters who he went with) is pretty close. And I think as an organization we are proud to send people and support them. I’m proud to have the support from my family and I think they’re proud to have me go and try to help. It’s good to have people still recognize you. It’s good to have Chief from New Orleans and have them call you and recognize you as a friend.

NS: How has the trip to New Orleans made the DeKalb Fire Department more prepared to handle a disaster?

BH: A lot of things did. It made us more aware of the whole natural response disaster system, as far as the ability to understand how it works and what’s needed to be done. We will work on that and continue to work on that for our disaster plan. People down there were able to experience working a disaster and they were also able to come back and share that experience.

NS: How do you feel about current conditions in New Orleans? Do you think it can return to normalcy?

BH: No. When I was down there, I thought things were getting better. I think that part of the reason, from my experience, is you simply start thinking it’s normal. You start thinking it’s getting better, but you are just getting used to it. And even here recently, I don’t know the date, but they are still finding dead bodies. It is really a bad situation. The fire department is not returning to full strength, and probably will not. They don’t have all the stations open. They still don’t have all the fire hydrants working. Electricity hasn’t been restored to a portion of the town. It’s still a very devastating situation. They are still working very hard down in New Orleans to get back to something like normal.