Utah Task Force 1
Encyclopedia
Utah Task Force 1- Salt Lake Urban Search & Rescue is one of 28 federal Department of Homeland Security / Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) Urban Search & Rescue Task Forces
in the United States. The task force is based in Salt Lake City, Utah
and is managed by the Unified Fire Authority
and the Salt Lake City Fire Department. Activation of the task force is accomplished by the State of Utah, or FEMA for rapid deployment of the Task Force. The highly specialized task force is self sufficient for up to 72 hours and includes physicians, canine search dogs, heavy rescue firefighters and paramedics, and structural engineers.
UT-TF 1 was deployed to the World Trade Center
on September 11, 2001 and to the Hurricane Katrina
site in 2005.
The Task Force manages 4.3 million dollars in specialized vehicles and equipment. This equipment is maintained by personnel trained by FEMA who work full-time for the Unified Fire Authority and the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
True support for this type of response was identified after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the Oklahoma City bombing
in April 1995.
(US&R) involves the location, rescue (extrication), and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces. Structural collapse is most often the cause of victims being trapped, but victims may also be trapped in transportation accidents and mine and trench collapses.
Urban search and rescue is considered a "multi-hazard" discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of emergencies or disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, storms and tornadoes, floods, dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases. The events may be slow in developing, as in the case of hurricanes, or sudden, as in the case of earthquakes.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) Urban Search & Rescue Task Forces
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force
thumb|Members of FEMA US&R Task Force at [[World Trade Center]] after the 9/11 attacks.A FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force is a team of individuals specializing in urban search and rescue, disaster recovery, and emergency triage and medicine. The teams are deployed to emergency and disaster...
in the United States. The task force is based in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and is managed by the Unified Fire Authority
Unified Fire Authority
The Unified Fire Authority is the agency that provides fire protection, emergency medical services, and other emergency responses for the unincorporated Salt Lake County, Utah, and for 5 other cities located within the county...
and the Salt Lake City Fire Department. Activation of the task force is accomplished by the State of Utah, or FEMA for rapid deployment of the Task Force. The highly specialized task force is self sufficient for up to 72 hours and includes physicians, canine search dogs, heavy rescue firefighters and paramedics, and structural engineers.
UT-TF 1 was deployed to the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
on September 11, 2001 and to the Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
site in 2005.
The Task Force manages 4.3 million dollars in specialized vehicles and equipment. This equipment is maintained by personnel trained by FEMA who work full-time for the Unified Fire Authority and the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
History
UT-TF 1, Urban Search & Rescue (US&R/USAR) was formed by the direction of FEMA over 19 years ago. All task forces are managed by full-time fire departments & firefighters who in return use this specialized training every day.True support for this type of response was identified after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
in April 1995.
Urban Search & Rescue
Urban search and rescueUrban search and rescue
Urban search and rescue involves the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces due to natural disasters, structural collapse, transportation accidents, mines and collapsed trenches.USAR teams in different countries may be organised in a...
(US&R) involves the location, rescue (extrication), and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces. Structural collapse is most often the cause of victims being trapped, but victims may also be trapped in transportation accidents and mine and trench collapses.
Urban search and rescue is considered a "multi-hazard" discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of emergencies or disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, storms and tornadoes, floods, dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases. The events may be slow in developing, as in the case of hurricanes, or sudden, as in the case of earthquakes.