GMR Teams Lead Swift Response After Hurricane Milton Landfall
10.10.2024
Hospital evacuations and 911 rescues continue across Florida, with teams on standby for further action.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton‘s landfall late Wednesday night into early this morning, Global Medical Response (GMR) began responding before sunrise.
“Our teams have been deeply involved in hospital evacuations,” said Phillip Mongeau, Vice President and Chief of Emergency Management for GMR. “In coordination with local health systems and state leadership, we’re in the process of relocating a significant number of patients from multiple healthcare facilities in the St. Petersburg area. These are often complex cases, requiring continuity of care throughout the process, which we ensure.”
As the nation's leader in disaster response, GMR has mobilized personnel and resources to provide critical medical support to the hardest-hit regions. Along with hospital evacuations, GMR teams are also supporting Urban Search and Rescue operations, providing medical support for evacuation shelters, supporting local 911 systems and are on standby for additional needs as they arise.
“The scale and speed of this response have been unprecedented – our teams mobilized overnight, responding with remarkable speed and efficiency to ensure we could get to work where we’re needed most,” said Ted Van Horne, Chief Operating Officer of Global Medical Response. “Damage assessments and resource needs are still in very early stages, and we continue to prepare all our teams, including our air ambulance resources—which have been centrally staged to provide support as medical needs unfold today.”
GMR, the parent company of AMR, along with AMR’s Office of Emergency Management—holders of the FEMA contract for EMS disaster support—have been collaborating closely with federal agencies, state authorities and local hospital systems to strategically position resources for an effective response. GMR swiftly redeployed personnel and resources from South Carolina to Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival, ensuring teams were positioned to meet the growing demand. More than 500 ground ambulances, a dozen air ambulances and additional support vehicles are now able to actively assist with evacuations and deliver critical emergency care.
“Our deployed teams and logistics personnel acted rapidly—essentially overnight,” said Van Horne. “The quick action has allowed us to evacuate patients and ensure the safety of our teams.”
Between Hurricane Milton and the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene, GMR, alongside its contracted network partners, now has more than 2,000 first responders, pilots, and support teams actively deployed. Many of these personnel have been on duty since September 24. Since the beginning of this deployment, GMR has responded to over 3,500 medical calls and logged more than 1.2 million miles.
“As we continue to navigate the challenges brought by Hurricane Milton, our commitment to the safety of the communities we serve—and the well-being of our teams—remains steadfast," said Mongeau. "We are actively checking in with our locally based GMR teams across the state to ensure their safety and provide any support they need.”
GMR teams are prepared for further action as the impact of Hurricane Milton continues to unfold.
“Our teams have been deeply involved in hospital evacuations,” said Phillip Mongeau, Vice President and Chief of Emergency Management for GMR. “In coordination with local health systems and state leadership, we’re in the process of relocating a significant number of patients from multiple healthcare facilities in the St. Petersburg area. These are often complex cases, requiring continuity of care throughout the process, which we ensure.”
As the nation's leader in disaster response, GMR has mobilized personnel and resources to provide critical medical support to the hardest-hit regions. Along with hospital evacuations, GMR teams are also supporting Urban Search and Rescue operations, providing medical support for evacuation shelters, supporting local 911 systems and are on standby for additional needs as they arise.
“The scale and speed of this response have been unprecedented – our teams mobilized overnight, responding with remarkable speed and efficiency to ensure we could get to work where we’re needed most,” said Ted Van Horne, Chief Operating Officer of Global Medical Response. “Damage assessments and resource needs are still in very early stages, and we continue to prepare all our teams, including our air ambulance resources—which have been centrally staged to provide support as medical needs unfold today.”
GMR, the parent company of AMR, along with AMR’s Office of Emergency Management—holders of the FEMA contract for EMS disaster support—have been collaborating closely with federal agencies, state authorities and local hospital systems to strategically position resources for an effective response. GMR swiftly redeployed personnel and resources from South Carolina to Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival, ensuring teams were positioned to meet the growing demand. More than 500 ground ambulances, a dozen air ambulances and additional support vehicles are now able to actively assist with evacuations and deliver critical emergency care.
“Our deployed teams and logistics personnel acted rapidly—essentially overnight,” said Van Horne. “The quick action has allowed us to evacuate patients and ensure the safety of our teams.”
Between Hurricane Milton and the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene, GMR, alongside its contracted network partners, now has more than 2,000 first responders, pilots, and support teams actively deployed. Many of these personnel have been on duty since September 24. Since the beginning of this deployment, GMR has responded to over 3,500 medical calls and logged more than 1.2 million miles.
“As we continue to navigate the challenges brought by Hurricane Milton, our commitment to the safety of the communities we serve—and the well-being of our teams—remains steadfast," said Mongeau. "We are actively checking in with our locally based GMR teams across the state to ensure their safety and provide any support they need.”
GMR teams are prepared for further action as the impact of Hurricane Milton continues to unfold.
