Virginia Task Force 1, a disaster response team sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, is en route to Florida to assist with Hurricane Helene.
The urban search and rescue team has been activated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and has sent an 80-person, four-canine Type 1 US&R team.
The team mobilized Tuesday and prepared more than 30 tons of equipment including tents, boats and rescue equipment.
A full team briefing was held Tuesday before the response team was dispatched to Florida.
Virginia Task Force was established in 1986 as a domestic and international disaster response resource and is rostered by 200 trained career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel. The team has expertise in the rescue of victims from collapsed structures following a catastrophic event.
The team includes emergency managers and planners, physicians and paramedics and includes specialists in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, logistics, hazardous materials, communications, canine and technical search.
AccuWeather meteorologists believe Hurricane Helene will reach a Category 3 status before it makes landfall in Florida’s Big Bend.
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Crystal Graham
