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

11/12/08

Virginia Task Force 1 Returns from Haiti

Virginia Task Force 1, Fairfax County's urban search and rescue team will return Wednesday, at approximately 8 p.m., November 12, 2008, following their deployment to Haiti in the aftermath of a school building collapse. They will return to the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Academy, 4600 West Ox Road.

The 38-member, medium Type III team arrived in Petionville, near the capital of Port-au-Prince, Saturday, November 8, 2008, to begin search and rescue operations. The task force, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) included search and rescue canines, search and technical rescue personnel, physicians, paramedics, engineers, and other support personnel.

Virginia Task Force 1 is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for domestic deployments, and USAID for overseas deployments. As part of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, the task force maintains constant operational readiness, and is a local resource for Fairfax County when needed. Funding for deployments and training is provided by the federal government.

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.