Miami Fire Rescue's Rescue Task II Force Activated To Help In Aftermath Of Hurricane Dorian
MIAMI (CBSMIAMI) - Miami Fire Rescue says Task Force 2 Urban Search & Rescue has been activated to deploy for Hurricane Dorian as FEMA continues to track the storm.
Miami Fire Rescue Captain Ignatius Carroll Jr. of Task Force 2 said it is not clear yet where the team will be sent.
Members of the 80-person team started assembling in darkness before 6 a.m. on Sunday at a huge, block-long warehouse behind Miami Fire Rescue Headquarters on N.W. 7th Street just east of 12th Avenue.
They also positioned special equipment, trucks, trailers and highly-trained dogs like RIT, a 7-year-old Yellow Labrador.
"Our goal is to get as many people as we can as quickly as possible and provide them hope so they can get along with their lives. As firefighters, we are here to serve our community. On this task force, we can expand that out to the community we serve," Carroll told CBS4's Peter D'Oench.
Scott Dean, who has been with the Task Force for nearly 20 years, is among those activated.
"We take every mission very seriously," he said. "And this hurricane is very dangerous. Ninety percent of the team is made up of firefighters of different agencies from all around South Florida, so just to be able to help people, this is another level of assistance. It means a lot to me and all the task force members. We always want to provide assistance to the people who need it. It's difficult leaving loves ones behind but the ultimate objective is to help make everyone safe and bring everyone home safely."
Task Force 2 was created in 1991 and has responded to help people after several major hurricanes including Opal in 1995, Floyd in 1999, Charley and Frances in 2004 and Katrina in 2005. The team was also called to help at the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks on September 11th of 2001. They also helped those in Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010.
Last week, 20 members of Task Force 2 were deployed to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Eighty members of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force One (FL-TF1) are preparing ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Dorian to deploy in order to provide assistance. The Type I US&R Task Force will have an embedded swift/floodwater rescue capability. The team is made up of members who specialize in urban search and rescue, disaster recovery, medical support, damage assessment, and communication.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is also packing up their trucks and getting ready to hit the road to help those in need from Hurricane Dorian.
They will have special equipment for medical care, as well as resources to help with wind and flood damage.
It is not clear yet where they will be sent, but they are ready, and monitoring the storm.
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