COURTESY OF BURIEN/NORMANDY PARK FIRE DEPARTMENT<br><br>Brian Lamoureaux, left, and Joe Kupferling pose in front of a department fire engine before leaving for the Gulf Coast to help hurricane victims.
Two firefighters from the Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department are in the Gulf Coast area assisting FEMA in the efforts to help the victims of the Hurricane Katrina.
Shortly after Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, FEMA put out a call for 1,000 two-person teams from the ranks of professional firefighters around the nation.
The Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department answered the call with two veteran firefighters, Brian Lamoureaux and Joe Kupferling.
The minimum deployment time for them will be 30 days with the possibility of staying longer if necessary.
Kupferling and Lamoureaux were flown to Atlanta where they went through a one-day training session. From there they were sent into the wake of Katrina's destruction to assist with aid to the hurricane victims.
They are educating victims on how to work with FEMA for assistance while providing basic first aid to people as needed.
Kupferling and Lamoureaux are expected to encounter adverse and dangerous conditions while performing their tasks as they work 12 or more hours per day for the 30 days of their deployment.
