Regional Response to Hurricane Harvey, Aug.-Sept. 2017
Members of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department Regional HSRT Technical Rescue Team, including personnel from Jackson Fire Rescue, returned home Tuesday, Sept. 5 from deployment to the Texas Gulf region where they assisted in rescue operations due to the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
The team had been deployed to the region on Aug. 30. The 10-person team consisted of water rescue technicians and trained rescue boat operators. While working as a 27-person strike team with personnel from the Kansas City Missouri Fire Department (KCFD) and Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, the team searched 450 homes and rescued 19 civilians and two pets.
The team originally reported to a staging area in College Station, Texas, and then assisted with rescues in both Fort Bend County and Houston near the Interstate 10 corridor and the Buffalo Bayou.
The combined equipment from all four departments on the strike team included five zodiac inflatable rescue boats, three rigid hull boats, and two air-powered boats.
The area in which crews were working will likely remain flooded for 20-30 days as reservoirs are still releasing high volumes of water.
The team on Sept. 4 was released by the Houston Fire Department and Texas State Emergency Management, as rescue operations were contained. Upon returning home, the team is going over equipment and restocking supplies in the event they are needed for deployment to Hurricane Irma’s response efforts.
Regional Response to Hurricane Harvey, Aug.-Sept. 2017
Members of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department Regional HSRT Technical Rescue Team, including personnel from Jackson Fire Rescue, returned home Tuesday, Sept. 5 from deployment to the Texas Gulf region where they assisted in rescue operations due to the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
The team had been deployed to the region on Aug. 30. The 10-person team consisted of water rescue technicians and trained rescue boat operators. While working as a 27-person strike team with personnel from the Kansas City Missouri Fire Department (KCFD) and Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, the team searched 450 homes and rescued 19 civilians and two pets.
The team originally reported to a staging area in College Station, Texas, and then assisted with rescues in both Fort Bend County and Houston near the Interstate 10 corridor and the Buffalo Bayou.
The combined equipment from all four departments on the strike team included five zodiac inflatable rescue boats, three rigid hull boats, and two air-powered boats.
The area in which crews were working will likely remain flooded for 20-30 days as reservoirs are still releasing high volumes of water.
The team on Sept. 4 was released by the Houston Fire Department and Texas State Emergency Management, as rescue operations were contained. Upon returning home, the team is going over equipment and restocking supplies in the event they are needed for deployment to Hurricane Irma’s response efforts.