Washington State Task Force 1 deployed to Hawaii to help search and rescue efforts

The Washington State Task Force-1 FEMA Ubran Search and Rescue has been deployed to help Hawaii after fires tore through Maui, said Pierce County.

A Type 3 team was sent to Maui on Thursday, consisting of 45 people from Pierce and King Counties and the City of Seattle Fire Department. A five-person K-9 human remains detection group also went.

On Sunday, Pierce County said 30 more members of the task force were sent to Hawaii.

Pierce County said the team could be deployed for up to 14 days.

The entire task force has more than 210 team members, drawn from a variety of organizations including fire departments, hospitals, law enforcement, private companies, and public works agencies, said Pierce County.

The team is trained for:

• Physical search and rescue.
• Providing emergency medical care for entrapped survivors.
• K-9 human remains detection.
• Assessing damage and needs, and providing feedback to local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal officials.
• Assessing/shutting off utilities to houses and other buildings.
• Evaluating hazardous materials.
• Evaluating hazards of buildings needed for immediate occupancy to support disaster relief operations.
• Stabilizing damaged structures, including shoring and cribbing operations on damaged buildings.
• Hazardous Materials Equipment Push Packages for operations in a contaminated environment.
• Search and rescue operations in a water environment.
• Decontamination of personnel and canines at the base of operations.

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