Hundreds of paramedics ready to head to hurricane zones

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Several hundred first responders from across the country have flown into Atlanta and have either headed with crews up to the hurricane zones or are on standby waiting for orders from FEMA. 

Federal authorities are coordinating the deployment of crews from the American Medical Response facility in DeKalb County, where paramedics and crews have loaded up dozens of ambulances with supplies and sent more than 70 vehicles to the areas of Virginia and the Carolinas. 

Hundreds more paramedics, ambulance operators, and first responders are set to fly into Atlanta from across the country and head to the aftermath zones. Many are either staying in hotels or a makeshift shelter at the American Medical Response warehouse.

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"We're out there helping the communities, making our communities at home proud," said first responder Stephanie Teague, who works for American Medical Response in Las Vegas. Many other crew members have come from Washington, Mississippi, California, and Colorado, among other places. 

"You become very nervous because of the conditions you're going into," she said, having worked on the frontlines of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and tells FOX 5, crews must be prepared for encountering a range of people in need, from those with medical conditions or those injured during an evacuation. 

"You see people in need--and you're surrounded by people that want to help," she said.

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