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Virginia Task Force 1 to Return Thursday from Haiti

Jan. 27, 2010
OPA 016/10

UPDATE: The arrival time for VATF-1 has changed.  The team is now expected to arrive at 3:40 p.m.

News Highlights   VATF-1 is expected to land at Dulles International Airport Thursday, Jan. 28, at 4 p.m. The public who wish to greet the team may begin arriving approximately 30 minutes prior to landing and follow signage marked “Fairfax USAR Haiti Event." Dress warmly; afternoon temperatures are expected in the upper 40s. This arrival area is outside and restroom facilities are not available. Free event parking is located at the corner of Rudder Road and Airport Drive, across from the entrance to the cell phone waiting area.

More Information  Event Map (Click for Full Map) Virginia Task Force 1 (Click for High-Res Version) Virginia Task Force 1

Virginia Task Force 1 (VATF-1), Fairfax County’s urban search and rescue team, will return to Fairfax County on Thursday, Jan. 28. The team was activated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)  Jan. 12 to the earthquake near Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The team, composed of 114 members, will arrive at Dulles International Airport tomorrow afternoon and are expected to land at approximately 4 p.m. Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova and other board members and elected officials will greet the team on its arrival. The team will go through customs on board; expect a wait of approximately 15-20 minutes after landing for the team to deplane.

The public is welcome to attend this homecoming and may bring welcome signs or banners, as well as personal cameras to document the arrival.

Those attending the event may park for free in the event parking area across from the entrance to the cell phone waiting lot, located at the corner of Rudder Road and Airport Drive. Message signs will direct those attending and will be marked “Fairfax USAR Haiti Event.” After parking, residents will enter through Gate 116, located along the west end of the parking lot to the Cargo 6 ramp where the plane will park upon arrival.

For more information about the homecoming, call the Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs at 703-324-3187, TTY 711.

Note:
USAID pays for all costs and expenses incurred by VATF-1 when team members are activated or participate in training. All training, training equipment, supplies, and personnel costs of VATF-1 are paid for by the federal government on a regular basis. Additionally, when firefighters and members are deployed, there is no loss in emergency response or service to Fairfax County residents, as minimum staffing for all front-line apparatus is continuous in all fire and rescue stations.

Notes to media:

• Team members will not be available for interviews at the airport. All interviews will be conducted at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy. After deboarding, team members will be escorted to shuttle buses for departure to the academy.
• Media may wish to consider use of a pool camera/photographer to document the arrival at the airport. No interviews with team members will be conducted at the airport.
• The plane will pass through a water arch after it lands and taxis into the Cargo 6 ramp area, which would be a nice visual.
• Please call the Airports Authority Office of Public Affairs at 703-417-8370 to make arrangements for live truck parking for this event.

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Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director, Office of Public Affairs
703-324-3189, TTY 711, Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
publicaffairs@fairfaxcounty.gov
To request this information in an alternate format, call 703-324-3187, TTY 711