California Emergency Response Teams

It's hurricane season, and even though California doesn't experience hurricanes, California sends help to areas affected by hurricanes, other natural disasters, and acts of terrorism. The help is in the form of Task Forces who operate under FEMA and are coordinated by local fire protection districts. There are eight task forces in California, and approximately 28 nationwide.

The Task Forces are composed of "firefighters and paramedics rescue specialists, emergency room physicians, structural engineers, heavy equipment specialists, canine search dogs and handlers, hazardous materials technicians, communications specialists, and logistics specialists. This unique technical rescue team responds with 70,000 pounds of prepackaged search and rescue tools and medical equipment to conduct around the clock search and rescue operations at domestic and international disasters, both natural and man-made."

Task Force 3, the task force closest to Santa Cruz, is based out of the Menlo Park Fire Protection district and specializes in urban search and rescue. Task Force 3 teams were deployed to Louisiana for Hurricane Gustav, and to Texas in preparation for Hurricane Ike. Currently there are eight national Task Force groups being sent to help with Hurricane Ike, including Task Force 8, from San Diego.