A rescue technician from the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) has been assisting with water rescues and delivery of aid in North Carolina in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, which caused heavy flooding and mudslides around the state, according to MCFRS officials.
The technician, Tim Beatty, is also a master firefighter and is one of eight rescue crew members on the Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, also known as MD-HART, who were deployed Saturday to North Carolina, MCFRS Public Information Officer Pete Piringer said on social media.
On Saturday, the MD-HART team executed 17 rescue missions, which included saving 14 adults, two children, one infant and two dogs, according to Piringer. The following day, the water rescue team executed missions in the greater Asheville area in Western North Carolina.
According to the Associated Press, main roads into Asheville had been washed away or blocked by landslides and the city’s water system was severely damaged. Buncombe County, which includes Asheville, has reported at least 35 deaths.
On Sunday, Piringer said the MD-HART team executed a mass evacuation of civilians and dogs who were stranded by landslides, overflowing rivers and damaged bridges in the Asheville area. By the end of the day, MD-HART assisted 33 people, six dogs and two cats. The rescues included 10 “hoists” by helicopter.
After a busy weekend of rescue missions, MD-HART helped with delivering aid and supplies to those in need before continuing search and rescue operations Monday, Piringer said.
Two other rescue technicians from the state joined Beatty: Chris Thompson from the Howard County Fire Department and Mike Szczesniakowski from the Baltimore County Fire Department, Pringer said.
Piringer noted that rescue technicians often perform missions and training exercises with the Maryland National Guard. MD-HART as well as 12 Maryland Army National Guard soldiers were approved for deployment by Gov. Wes Moore (D) Saturday to assist with rescue and aid efforts in North Carolina.
In addition to MD-HART, forty-five first responders, three tractor-trailers, two box trucks, boats and vans were deployed to Georgia on Wednesday to help communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, according to MCFRS officials.
The collection of specialists and equipment are a part of the Maryland Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team (MD-TF1), one of 28 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) task forces.
On Monday, Maryland Task Force 1 received orders to redeploy from Georgia to North Carolina, Piringer said.
“They started out in Macon, Georgia where they worked on some checking of the welfare, search and rescue, some damage assessment of the structures,” MCFRS Chief Smedley said in a video posted to social media Monday.
The team of 45 consists of first responders also from Washington, D.C., and Prince George’s, Frederick and Howard counties.
“All teams have the same equipment, same level of training. They’re constantly training throughout the year,” Piringer told MoCo360 Thursday. “It’s a pretty robust system.”
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.
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.”
