TX-TF1 deploys for Bastrop County wildfire search

Texas Task Force 1 (TX-TF1), the state’s elite search and rescue team, has been deployed to assist local officials and first responders in Bastrop County.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was briefed on the potential loss of life early Tuesday afternoon, and immediately requested that Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd deploy a TX-TF1 leadership team to Bastrop to establish a preliminary operation. This team was on site in Bastrop on Tuesday.

Based on the needs of local officials, a wide area search team consisting of approximately 100 Task Force members and nearly one dozen search canines will be in Bastrop Wednesday morning to work with the local incident management team and assist with search operations.

TX-TF1 is a 600-member force that is nationally recognized for its unique search, rescue and recovery capabilities. It was deployed to New York City following the terrorist attack on 9/11, and to New Orleans following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. The Texas Engineering Extension Service is the sponsoring agency for TX-TF1.