Senator Blunt talks with Missouri Task Force One
Missouri senator Roy blunt met with Missouri Task Force One Thursday morning.
The task force gets deployed to rescue missions across the country. They helped with the September 11th attacks in New York, they went to Joplin, Missouri after the 2011 tornadoes, and they also helped with the winter floods Missouri had in late 2015. The team responds to swift-water rescues, mud slides, and urban rescues.
The team is volunteer with members from the fire service but they also have engineers, medical professionals, and canine search specialists. The team does not get paid for their training time or in-state deployments. If they get sent on a federal employment they’ll be paid by the federal government.A state deployment could take anywhere from two to five days. A federal deployment is typically around 14 days.
Missouri Task Force One is the only level one task force in the state of Missouri. They have to be ready to be to respond to disasters from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast. TF1 practices and trains for responses based on previous experiences and natural disasters.
One of the main concerns for Missouri Task Force One is if there were to be an event involving the New Madrid Seismic Zone in southeast Missouri. The team has trained with the Missouri Army National Guard to practice aerial rescues. They say they need that kind of support and training because most likely, if a seismic event were to happen, bridges and roads would be impassable.
The task force gets their funding from the federal government which, according to the Boone County Fire Chief, can vary year to year. Chief Scott Olsen says they have challenges working out funding for day-to-day operations of maintenance, funding training exercises, and funding updates and upgrades for their equipment. Much of their equipment was purchased in the years following the September 11th terror attacks. The chief said they have been able to switch out some of their equipment but things like their computer and radio equipment need an upgrade.
The Missouri Task Force One is one of only 28 level one task force response teams in the United States. There are also level two, three, and four teams.
