Utah Task Force 1

Utah Task Force 1(UT-TF 1)- Salt Lake Urban Search & Rescue is one of 28 federal Department of Homeland Surity / Federal Emergency Management (FEMA)urban search & rescue task forces in the United States. The Task Force is based in Salt Lake City, Utah and managed by the Unified Fire Authority. Activation of the Task Force is accomplished by the State of Utah or FEMA for rapid deployment of the team. The highly specialized Task Force is self sufficient for up to 72 hours and includes physicians, canine search dogs and structural engineers.

UT-TF 1 was activated to the World Trade Center on Spetember 11, 2001 and to Hurricane Katrina.

The Task Force manages 4.3 million dollars in specilialized vehicles and equipment. This equipment is maintained by personnel trained by FEMA, but who work fulltime for the Unified Fire Authority.

History

UT-TF 1, Urban Search & Rescue (US&R / USAR)was formed by the direction of FEMA over 17 years ago. All task forces are managed by full time fire departments & firefighters who in return use this specialized training everyday.

True support for this type of response was identified after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the bombing of the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995.

Urban Search & Rescue

Urban search and rescue (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, mines and collapsed trenches. 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.