Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
4100 Chain Bridge Rd, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Phone: 703-246-3801, TTY: 711 and Fax:703-385-1687
Duty PIO (Weekends/After-hours): 703-280-0694
Media Information Line: 703-324-3000
Email: fire-rescue.Pa-LSE@fairfaxcounty.gov
Website: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fire

09/02/08

Virginia Task Force One Activated for Hurricane Gustav

Virginia Task Force 1, Fairfax County’s urban search and rescue team was activated by the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, at approximately 10 p.m., Saturday, August 30, 2008, and deployed to the Atlanta area as a result of Hurricane Gustav.

Virginia Task Force 1, an 80-person team, departed at approximately 4 a.m., Sunday, August 31, 2008, from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy. The team is comprised of search, rescue, technical, and medical assets.

Virginia Task Force 1 arrived in the Atlanta area Sunday afternoon. The team is in a staging posture maintaining operational readiness.

Virginia Task Force 1 has partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency for domestic response, and the United States Agency for International Development/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance during international missions.

As a part of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, the task force maintains constant operational readiness as a local resource for residents of Fairfax County.

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For more information, call Daniel L. Schmidt or Lieutenant Raúl G. Castillo, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, 703-246-3801 and TTY: 711. Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all county programs, services and activities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request.