Rescue teams from Maryland and Virginia have gone to help in the rescue-and-recovery efforts in flood-ravaged Houston.
Rescue task forces, including two from the D.C. area, have been dispatched from around the country to assist Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. A division of the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, the Virginia Task Force 1 (or VA-TF1) includes 14 members of the swift water team, which specializes in rescuing individuals from flood-affected areas. Strategically comprised of emergency planners, physicians, and paramedics, VA-TF1 also includes specialists in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, logistics, canines, and technical search. As partners with the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Agency for International Development, the task force maintains constant operational readiness as a local resource for residents of Fairfax County and surrounding jurisdictions, which is why they were ready and available for deployment to flood-ravaged Houston.We want to make sure we can help the people get them the FEMA resources needed and help evacuate if that comes about," said Lt. Michael Eddy, VA Task Force 1.[caption id="attachment_3645" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Members of Maryland Urban Search and Rescue Task Force one fly aboard a U.S. Army CH-47 helicopter[/caption]
Chuck Ryan, as assistant chief with the Fairfax County Fire Department, said the group arrived in San Antonio on Sunday. They were originally headed to Houston, but with the flooding and heavy rain, federal officials decided to have the team “hold back a little” and go to San Antonio instead.
Another group, Maryland Task Force One (MD-TF1), has also been deployed to help flood and storm victims. That group includes roughly 20 members who are a part of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. Each member of the team trains at least once a month in their specialty but often cross-trains in another disciplines.
MC-TF1's equipment cache for local and national response is located at Fire Station 31 in Darnestown, but a new dedicated cache warehouse is planned for Fire Station 31 as a result of a combination of local, state, and federal funding.
Pete Piringer, a spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, said it is the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, that all of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue Teams have been deployed and activated at the same time.
