EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION: Need Armed Security Volunteers for Small Town in FL Panhandle

URGENT SECURITY MISSION:

Oath Keepers has received an urgent request from a small town in the Florida panhandle (in the zone of destruction from the hurricane) to provide armed security in an anti-looting security operation for the town. This request came from the town Mayor and from the town Fire Chief.

This is a small town of approximately 2,000 residents that does NOT have a police department and in normal times relies on the county sheriff department for law enforcement. However, in the wake of the hurricane, with the power out in the whole county, that sheriff department is now stretched too thin and the 911 system is barely working.

The local volunteer fire department was doing their best to stand guard at night, along with all their daylight duties, but we have now relieved them so they can get some sleep and focus on their mission of rescue, wellness checks, road clearing, and assisting in getting the power back on. The power is still out in a massive swath of Florida from Panama City to the Alabama and Georgia border.

We desperately need security trained and experienced personnel to help secure this town, ie. law enforcement or military veterans with appropriate training, or those with civilian security training and experience. You DO NOT have to be an Oath Keepers member, but you do need to be well trained and safe with your firearm, and have a solid understanding of legal use of force and the force continuum. Other groups are welcome to send teams, but they must all be qualified and vetted and they will be under Oath Keepers command (under Scott Dunn, LEO veteran and Oath Keepers Florida leader).

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This is an important mission, so please come help if you can and if you can’t help in person, please donate to support those who can.

DONATE HERE

We are getting in reports of looting in other nearby communities who are also without power, so it is possible that this security mission will expand to other towns once we make contact with town officials – so we need volunteers, and lots of them.

This mission is nearly identical to what we did last year in the town of Mercerville, TX where we provided security for the whole town and helped by assisting local first responders.

ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL NEEDS FOR THIS PANHANDLE TOWN MISSION:

EMERGENCY MEDICAL. We need emergency medical personnel (i.e. EMTs, Medics, nurses, doctors, etc) to do wellness checks and provide basic medical care as local EMS is also stretched thin (and again, the 911 system is not fully functioning).
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. We need HAM radio operators with their own radios who can work out of their vehicles or improvised stations in an area without power. You must be able to run your radio on your own, without local power.
ROAD CLEARING. We also need people who can help clear roads (with chain saws, axes, winches, come-alongs, bolt cutters, etc).

So, if you can help with the above non-security tasks, please do volunteer for this mission in the panhandle. We will provide security escorts for you if needed. See our original CALL TO ACTION for general recommended gear. We will provide a place to sleep but you need your own sleeping pad/cot and sleeping bag.

You will be heavily vetted before being allowed to deploy in the town. We are only disclosing the town name and location to vetted volunteers to avoid letting bad guys know where this vulnerable town is, until we get sufficient security in place. Once you are vetted, you will be given directions to our rally point where you will be in-processed and then assigned duties.

TO VOLUNTEER:

Call Scott Dunn at 850-209-6348. If he doesn’t answer, text that same number. Backup phone for Scott is 254-377-0178. As a final failsafe, if Scott does not respond within two hours, call Paul Batavia at 561-797-3873.
Email us at volunteers@oathkeepers.org. This is for a written record of who volunteered. Put “FL Panhandle Town Security Volunteer” in subject line or “Medical Volunteer” or “Road clearing volunteer”. Give us your name, number, where you are from, and a short description of your qualifications and any special gear you are bringing. Please DO NOT just email. Call Scott at the above numbers so he can begin the vetting process over the phone.

MISSION:

A. NIGHT TIME. Armed security patrols in town. We need at least a dozen personnel, but 14-20 would be ideal. So please bring others who are qualified. All security personnel will need to carry handguns concealed with a FL concealed carry license or a CCW from a state with reciprocity (and Florida has reciprocity with nearly every state, but please do check). Do bring long guns (rifle or shotgun) with weapons lights on them, but those must be kept in the vehicle in a case or bag (not visible) and must stay in the vehicle and covered up/in a container unless needed during a life threatening emergency. You will be further briefed on local and state laws when vetted. Bring body armor if you have it. Bring night vision or FLIR if you have it. Bring flashlights. See our list of other recommended gear from our general CALL TO ACTION. Bring a cot. We do have housing for you with running water and shower, but you need a cot or sleeping pad and sleeping bag.

B. DAYTIME: Medical wellness checks and road clearing, as well as distribution of disaster relief supplies. Those who are did not pull an all night security patrol shift will go out during the day to assist with wellness checks, providing medical care, and helping to clear roads. Security personnel can also rotate in to pull a day shift once they have enough sleep after a night shift, to provide security escorts for medical personnel.

Any questions, call Scott at the above contact numbers. And be sure to read the recommended general gear list in our main CALL TO ACTION.

Thank you for your help! This is an important mission, so please come help if you can and if you can’t, please donate to support those who can.