Local firefighter answers call to help with Hurricane Harvey

GEORGETOWN, SC (WBTW) – A Midway Fire Rescue firefighter and paramedic has gone to Texas to assist with emergencies related to Hurricane Harvey.

Henry Huilt, a master firefighter/paramedic deployed Friday, the same day Hurricane Harvey made landfall.

According to a Georgetown County Facebook post, Huilt was deployed as part of a National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) team. His deployment is scheduled to last one week.

The NDMS is a federally coordinated healthcare system and partnership of Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, the post says. It consists of doctors, nurses, paramedics and other rescue professionals who work to support State, local, Tribal and Territorial authorities following disasters and emergencies by supplementing health and medical systems and response capabilities.

Huilt has worked as a part of the NDMS on several previous occasions, according to the Facebook post.

Most recently, he was deployed to New York in late 2012 to respond to Hurricane Sandy. Huilt provided medical assistance in two shelters while there.He also provided a much needed listening ear for people who had just experienced tragedy, he said.