this excerpt was pulled from a firehouse.com story.  Most apparatus would not fit in a parking garage with a 6'8" or even a 7' height restriction, but if it could and ultimately been located in a flood area in a "worst case" scenario, would they have expected the firefighters to drive their rigs out of the exit underwater when they are needed most for rescue/EMS??

The Calm Before the Storm

As winds hit 45 miles per hour shortly before Midnight Sunday before Katrina hit, the city's fire and EMS personnel initially stopped responding to all emergencies.

"Our primary concern this point is the safety of our personnel and equipment," Charlene Barthe, Public Affairs Coordinator for the New Orleans Fire Department, told Firehouse.com late Sunday.

The city's firefighters were initially moved from fire stations before the storm hit to more secure buildings in their primary response districts. Apparatus was moved to higher ground, including the upper floors of parking garages in the city in hopes the units would be protected from the most severe conditions.

The New Orleans Fire Department has 33 stations with 759 personnel.

They need to have the equipment available to use and not Damaged.

If you've ever driven by a Firehouse during a small earthquake ... they move the equipement outside to open areas so it won't be damaged. It's S.O.P.

The down side in New Orleans was shortly after the storm the levee's ALSO failed and the streets flooded rendering the Fire trucks useless to rescue in many areas.

At that point they needed BOATS or Amphibious equipment (ok upcoming Bush dig next) which of course were in Iraq of all places, go figure.

The local news interviewed an elderly couple who were brought from New Orleans to San Diego and these poor people (as in deserving sympathy, not financially) related how some low life scumbag SOB offered to give them a ride from their rooftop in his boat......for  $15-20 each.

Luckily a helicopter was able to airlift them to safety.

And don't anyone try and balme any politician or political party for this one, the problem is just low life dirtbag thugs who deserve to have their feet encased in cement and then leave 'em in the flood waters to serve as bouys.

Yes Baloney, apparatus is moved out of buildings during earthquakes, but during a possible flood, move them to the upper floors of parking garages?  My Tahoe barely fits in most parking garages in Minneapolis.  It sounds a lot like someone in an office thinking it would be a good idea but never considering that virtually every usable piece of fire apparatus (short of a low profile ambulance, bomb disposal trailers & staff transport vehicles) will not make the clearance, nor turning radius.

umm, and I don't think that any of NOLA FD's water related equipment was in Iraq, although you finding some obscure link claiming so would not surprise me at all!

"And don't anyone try and balme any politician or political party for this one, the problem is just low life dirtbag thugs who deserve to have their feet encased in cement and then leave 'em in the flood waters to serve as bouys"

Whoa...my brain hurts...first you say don't blame politicians, then you go on to describe them and say leave 'em in the flood waters!

Jeez! Make up your mind...

She was making a joke..Politicians=lowlife scum...

First of all those people were not poor financially--you said so yourself.  Obviously, they did not evacuate because they were either stupid or lazy. Now someone with the foresight to have a boat during a flood should not be penalized for his intelligence. In fact, I find it outrageous that my tax dollars had to be spent to save these idiots when they could have just as easily paid 20 bucks out of their own pocket and saved themselves.

P.S. If the couple is white, please disregard what I just said.