To maintain its readiness to assist local jurisdictions when the worst happens, TX-TF1 holds an Operational Readiness Exercise each year in an environment second to none at Disaster City® in College Station, TX. Over 900 participants from TX-TF1, UT-TF1, Texas Military Forces and other organizations are expected on April 24-26 for the largest exercise ever held at the TEEX facility.
Texas Task Force 1 Operations Chief Jeff Saunders has been named Director of the statewide urban search and rescue team. Sponsored by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), the team can be activated by the governor through the Texas Division of Emergency Management or as one of FEMAs 28 sanctioned urban search and rescue teams.
Billy Parker, founding member and Director of Texas Task Force 1 urban search and rescue team, is retiring on March 31, after 35 years of service to TEEX and the state of Texas. Parker played a significant role in the development of TX-TF1 and of the internationally recognized search and rescue training facility, Disaster City®.
Seventeen rescue swimmers with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) have successfully completed the Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Basic Level 1 course sponsored by Texas Task Force 1.
The FEMA Incident Support Team (IST) and the regional FEMA office made the decision this morning to demobilize Texas Task Force 1 (TX-TF1) from operations in Arkansas.
Texas Task Force 1 has been activated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management at the request of FEMA to assist local, State and Federal responders in Arkansas after strong tornadoes struck a wide area near Little Rock on April 27. The Type 1, 77-member team is expected to arrive midday (April 28).
FEMA has called up several members of Texas Task Force 1 to assist with recovery efforts following the March 22 mudslide in Snohomish County, WA.
GeoSuite®, a software application originally developed for the military, is the newest technology asset in the Texas Task Force 1 equipment cache. Developed by General Dynamics, the technology was repurposed for search and rescue operations, and TX-TF1 first used it during its deployment to Moore, OK, in 2013.
Forty-five canine search specialist (CSS) teams plus 10 additional search and rescue personnel were on hand for the 10th annual FEMA CSS Training Weekend at Disaster City®. The event is recognized as a top workshop for canine teams from across the U.S.
Texas Task Force 1 and TEEX will be hosting the National Helicopter Search & Rescue Workshop at the Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station, TX, on April 1-2, 2014. Over 70 personnel from more than 30 organizations from across the nation will participate in this unique event.