History of the Federal US&R System
In the early 1980s, the Fairfax County (VA) Fire & Rescue Department and the Metro-Dade County (FL) Fire Department created elite search-and-rescue teams trained for rescue operations in collapsed structures. Working with the US State Department and the Office of Foreign Disaster Aid, these teams provided vital search and rescue support for catastrophic earthquakes in Mexico City, the Philippines, and in Armenia.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency formally established the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System in 1989 as a framework for structuring local emergency services personnel into integrated disaster response task forces. In 1991, FEMA incorporated this concept into the Federal Response Plan (now the National Response Plan), by sponsoring 25 national urban search-and-rescue task forces.
Events such as the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City, the Northridge California earthquake, the Kansas grain elevator explosion in 1998, and earthquakes in Turkey and Greece in 1999 simply underscored the need for highly skilled teams to rescue trapped victims. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 thrust FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue teams into the spotlight. Their important work transfixed a world and brought a surge of gratitude and support.
Today, the National US&R Response System has been expanded to 28 national task forces. These teams are staffed and equipped to conduct round-the-clock search and rescue operations following earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, aircraft accidents, hazardous materials spills and catastrophic structural collapses. These task forces, complete with necessary tools and equipment, and required skills and techniques, can be deployed by FEMA for the rescue of victims of these events.
History of Ohio Task Force One
Ohio Task Force One was added to the National US&R Response System in March of 1997 <read more>. Since that time, they have been deployed as a federal Urban Search and Rescue asset to the following incidents:
1998 - Debruce Grain Elevator Explosion < read more >
2001 - World Trade Center < read more >
2002 - Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games
2003 - Columbia Space Shuttle Debris Recovery
2003 - Hurricane Isabel < read more >
2004 - Democratic National Convention
2004 - Hurricane Francis
2004 - Hurricane Ivan < read more >
2005 - Hurricane Dennis < read more >
2005 - Hurricane Katrina
2005 - Hurricane Ophelia
2005 - Hurricane Rita < read more >
2006 - Hurricane Ernesto
2008 - Hurricane Gustov
2008 - Hurricane Ike
In addition to their federal deployments, Ohio Task Force One also assisted in the Xenia tornado response of September of 2000. < read more >
OH-TF1 promotional materials
Wright-Patterson AFB Skywrighter (November 2001)
Dayton Daily News (March 2003)
Homeland Protection Professional (July 2005)