BREAKING NEWS Tracking Milton: Power outages across SWFL

Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force deployed ahead of Helene

Reporter: Olivia Jean Writer: Elyssa Morataya
Published: Updated:

The Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Six has been deployed ahead of Helene.

52 members will go to affected areas throughout the state.

Some stationed in Bonita Springs left Thursday afternoon. They will head to Orlando to meet teams from all across Florida who respond to disasters and emergencies.

The team is made up of local firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics from southwest Florida.

52 crew members and their luggage, plus equipment designed to operate in situations beyond the scope of normal fire trucks, such as boats, motors, dry suits, equipment for floods, and equipment if a building collapses.

You name it, and this team does it.

It’s about a three-hour drive to Orlando, and Jason Martin, the task force leader, explained why the crew is heading that way.

“That’s where there are teams from all over Florida that are they’re going to different areas that are staging, pre-staging, and awaiting the impacts of the storm,” said Martin. “So we are already spun up, ready to go, and be able to respond as soon as we can.”

Martin told WINK News reporter Olivia Jean that he is unsure of when the team will return. The last time this team was deployed was for Tropical System Debbie.

I did see a couple of families wave goodbye as they left tonight.

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