Texas Task Force 1 personnel complete three deployments

COLLEGE STATION – Texas Task Force 1 returned on July 25 from its deployment to San Marcos, Texas, where a Type-4 Urban Search and Rescue Task Force spent four days assisting the City of San Marcos, the Texas State Fire Marshal and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at the scene of the fire at the Iconic Apartments. Thirty team members and two canines were deployed.

The team worked to locate and recover missing victims, assist with debris removal and provide structural support to ensure the safety of the investigators as they searched to identify the cause of the fire. The team was deployed to San Marcos in response to a request from the Governor’s Office.

In June, TX-TF1 deployed to two events. The team was activated on June 19 by Gov. Greg Abbott through the Texas Division of Emergency Management to assist jurisdictions in the Rio Grande Valley after heavy rains caused flooding in the region. They worked with other state response partners to evacuate more than 150 Texans and seven pets.

The following week, a 13-member squad was deployed to the scene of an explosion at the Coryell Memorial Healthcare Facility in Gatesville to assist the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Team members built structural shoring supports so investigation personnel could safely enter the structure.