Ohio Task Force 1 crews demobilized in Florida

After 10 days of providing search and rescue help in Florida following Hurricane Michael, Ohio Task Force 1 crews are returning to Ohio.

The 10 FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team and the Red Incident Support Team have been demobilized and are in the process of heading home, according to an OH-TF1 press release.

The 10 teams completed four rescues, 165 evacuations, 3,829 animal issues, 108 assists, 26,440 shelter-in-place and 39,952 structural assessments.

“The members of Ohio Task Force 1 are highly-trained search and rescue professionals,” said Phil Sinewe, OH-TF1 public information officer. “While we typically see them in the media deployed on federal disasters, they also stand ready to protect all Ohioans. The extensive training they participate in not only benefits the FEMA system, but more importantly, it plays a huge role in local and state emergency response on a daily basis.”

“These men, women and search dogs respond to local incidents on a daily basis, delivering quality rescue services to their local communities,” he added.

The team will return to the Kettering Warehouse around 2:30 p.m. Friday.

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