Maryland Task Force 1 Heads To Georgia Ahead Of Hurricane Helene

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Members of Montgomery County's Urban Search and Rescue team headed to Georgia on Wednesday to assist residents affected by Hurricane Helene, which is predicted to make landfall Thursday night as a Category 3 storm.

Pete Piringer, a spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, said members of Maryland Task Force 1 left Rockville for Georgia on Wednesday to assist with water rescues.

The team is comprised of 45 members from the Montgomery, Howard, Frederick, and Prince George's County fire departments, as well as DC Fire and EMS, according to officials.

The team was accompanied by various equipment including three tractor-trailers, two box trucks, boats and vans.

“We have assets that can get people out of areas that are immersed with water that are normally not immersed with water,” MCFRS Chief Corey Smedley said during a news briefing, according to DC News Now. “So, we have the boats that can do that. We have the trained swift water rescue personnel that can assist in that, and then, in the unfortunate event that someone is missing, we have the capability to help with our K9s to help find them.”

Maryland Task Force 1 is one of 28 across the United States that respond to natural and manmade disasters as part of FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. Teams have previously assisted with recovery efforts following Hurricane Floyd, the Oklahoma City bombing, and last year's devastating Maui wildfires, according to county officials.

Piringer told MoCo360 that there are about 200 members on the Maryland task force who can respond to FEMA calls.

“All teams have the same equipment, same level of training. They’re constantly training throughout the year,” Piringer told MoCo360. “It’s a pretty robust system.”

Maryland Task Force 1's deployment is scheduled to last 10 days. They will be joining six other 80-member teams, including two from Virginia.