Four Carmel firefighters departed Wednesday evening with Indiana Task Force 1 on a mission to assist in the building collapse operation in Surfside, Fla. The group includes Deputy Chief Adam Harrington, Captain Eric Frenzel, Captain Scott Tierney and Captain Kurt Weddington.
Photo provided
Carmel Fire Department personnel are specially trained for this kind of work and regularly join the statewide task force on missions to areas that have been hit hard by major weather events, such as hurricanes. The task forces are equipped and ready to deploy within six hours in various response models. Each task force is comprised of 70 members specializing in search, rescue, medicine, hazardous materials, logistics and planning, including technical specialists such as physicians, structural engineers and canine search teams.
Click here to learn more about the task force.
“The Carmel Clay community and its firefighters’ thoughts and prayers are with the people of Miami during this very difficult time,” Carmel Fire Chief Dave Haboush said. “We are proud of all our firefighters and grateful for our members deployed on this mission representing the City of Carmel.”
Indiana Task Force 1 is one of 28 FEMA Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) teams from across the country and was deployed as a federal resource after the request for additional assistance by the state of Florida. The group currently on the road includes firefighters from all over Central Indiana along with a civilian crew who are specialists as Canine Handlers, Medical, Communications, Ground Support, Structural Engineers, HazMat, Technical Information, Mechanics and Drivers. Their mission is to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts in Surfside, Fla., where the Champlain Tower collapsed.
Click here to follow their journey on social media.