Forty-five first responders, three tractor trailers, two box trucks, boats and vans left Rockville on Wednesday headed for Georgia to help communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue (MCFRS) officials.
The collection of specialists and equipment are a part of the Maryland Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team, one of 28 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tasks forces.
“We have the capabilities, expertise and specialization to get into certain areas where local people may be [overwhelmed,]” MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said.
The National Urban Search & Rescue Response System was established in 1989 as a way to organize federal, state and local emergency response teams in response to major disasters, according to the FEMA website.
According to Piringer, there are about 200 members on the Maryland task force who can respond to FEMA calls. This time 45 first responders from Montgomery County, the Prince George’s County Fire Department, the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services, the Washington D.C. Fire and EMS Department and Howard County Fire and EMS are headed out to help with the response to Hurricane Helene, Piringer said.
“All teams have the same equipment, same level of training. They’re constantly training throughout the year,” Piringer told MoCo360. “It’s a pretty robust system.”
FEMA teams are called in after states request assistance, Piringer said, noting that Wednesday night, the Maryland task force headed to Atlanta before they were re-routed to Macon, Georgia.
While FEMA requested the team focus on water rescue, Piringer said, there are a variety of specialists in a number of areas including hazmat, search and rescue, communications and medical. The task force brings everything they need to sustain themselves for two weeks, he said.
The team is typically assigned to an area for 10 to 14 days, Piringer said. The Maryland task force is joining six 80-member teams, including two from Virginia. Piringer said the task force is one small part of FEMA’s disaster response.
“They anticipated very unusual windstorms expected to come up into Georgia, along with some reportedly catastrophic flooding,” Piringer said. “We’ll see what the weather does.”
MCFRS Chief Corey Smedley said in a Wednesday press briefing that the department will continue to serve the county.
“We have the resources back at home to take care of our community,” Smedley said. “We’re ensuring that there are no gaps in our service delivery to our Montgomery County community as well.”
According to NBC News, Hurricane Helene is Category 2 hurricane with speeds of 100 miles per hour as of Thursday morning. It’s expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday evening as at least a Category 3 hurricane.
