Sisters company responds to disasters nationwide

You see the images on TV, first responders helping hurricane victims and fire evacuees across the nation.

But did you know that some of those first responders live right here in Central Oregon?

When the call comes in that a major disaster has struck, there’s a company in Sisters that jumps into action.

So as you can imagine, the owner of that business describes the past few months as “blurry.”

In August, GFP Emergency Services was deployed to several fires burning throughout the West.

The Sisters company specializes in emergency response to catastrophic events.

On Aug. 23, when Hurricane Harvey was in full swing, GFP sprung into action, Chief Financial Officer Don Pollard said Thursday.

“We supply mobile shower units, mobile laundry units, cots, pillows, blankets, whatever we were tasked to do,” Pollard said.

Immediately after, Hurricane Irma hit — and once again, the GFP team hit the road, this time providing base camps for first responders.

Being on-call 24/7, Pollard said each crew member has something unique to keep him or her motivated.

“When you know that you’re helping make better the situation or helping the first responders, it’s rewarding to know that you made the world a little bit better,” Pollard said.

Most recently, the GFP crews went to California to help fight the raging wildfires.

The company is paid through contracts with the state and federal government.

For more information about what GFP Emergency Services does, you can head to its website: http://gfpemergency.com/about-us/about-us-overview/