The Columbia Fire department has deployed 15 of their own to lend a helping hand to those feeling the after affects of Florence. On Sunday the 15 fire officials were sent to Pawleys Island in specialized vehicles and equipment were sent for water rescue and search/collapse emergencies. Officials with the department say they received help from other departments during the historic flood in 2015 and decided to return the favor. “Columbia dealt with the flood of 2015 and they know how to give back to others and that’s what they’re really going to do,” Daniel McManus, Columbia Fire Divison Chief of special Ops. said. “The guys going today have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours training. Really deployment is a culmination of that so these guys get to go and help others. All these hours and days worth of training, they really get to give back and this is what they do it for.” The 15 firefighters are expected to stay for five days.