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Chiles concentrates efforts on fire reliefBy PETER WALLSTEN © St. Petersburg Times, published July 4, 1998 He was in the state Emergency Operations Center until 11 Thursday night, and back again at 8 a.m. Friday, staying until the early evening. He left only for a brief lunch and dinner break. Chiles spent so much time at the EOC Friday, his green Ford Expedition, parked in a loading zone, was almost towed. Chiles' aides put a stop to that after a public address announcement warned that the towing company had been called. "His juices really get flowing at times like this," said spokeswoman April Herrle. "He is really into it." Chiles, who canceled his North Carolina vacation, spent much of his time at the EOC behind closed doors, meeting with agency representatives. He talked strategy with the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, James Lee Witt, and occasionally strolled through the EOC control room to watch the action. Since the fires began, he has made trips to fire scenes, meeting firefighters on the front lines and sometimes eating lunch with them. He took at least four trips last week alone, calling to firefighters: "How are you? Are you all right? Is there anything more you need?" "I want them to know how much we appreciate their work," said Chiles, who will retire when his term ends early next year. "They need to know we appreciate them." With the fires intensifying, Chiles has practically moved into the EOC. A small room with a piece of paper taped to the door reads, "'Governor's Office," giving Chiles a place to talk to his staff or do radio interviews over the telephone. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, state and federal leaders were criticized for a lackluster disaster response. This time, the governor has been in constant contact with federal disaster officials, urging them to send aid. He also has stayed in touch with his emergency management team, calling EOC director Joe Myers four or five times a day for updates. Myers said Chiles' involvement has been a boost to his staff, which has worked a lot of overtime this year because of tornadoes, flooding and now fires. At one point last week, Chiles heard about some firefighters who had been burned. He insisted on eating lunch with them. "He's really engaged in this," Myers said. "Our staff knows that. It makes our job easier to know the governor's in here. He knows a lot of them by their first names."
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ALLAHASSEE -- As state officials work overtime through the holiday coordinating the firefighting effort, Gov. Lawton Chiles has been a constant companion.
