Skip to content

Archives for usr

See all posts in the network tagged with usr

Fugate Nominated to Head FEMA

1 comment

I’m always happy to see a fellow firefighter and paramedic do well for themselves, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that Florida Emergency Management Chief Craig Fugate was nominated to head up FEMA.  I don’t know him personally, but I think that among the preparedness aspects that he has championed for his state that keeps them ahead of the others, the US&R model he advocated (and with the help of his great team, implemented) is exactly along the lines of the South Carolina plan which I blogged about earlier.

I think he is probably someone I have on my list of people I’d like to meet and talk with however, based on this quote from the AP article:

In a 2006 letter to a high-ranking homeland official, Fugate slammed the department’s review of hurricane preparedness exercises for Florida’s region. “The products are wonderful in terms of color enhancement, texture, physical craftmanship, etc.,” Fugate wrote, sarcastically. But, he said, the reviews did not reflect the work Florida had done to respond to Hurricane Katrina.

Posted by on March 5, 2009 • Filed under: change, DHS, FEMA, fire service, government, leadership, politics, US&R • Tagged: , , ,

Planning for US&R Teams

2 comments

mod-abt-recon-34I was sharing some information with a colleague tonight and I realized that perhaps some of you reading might like access to this research as well.  This is my paper on Developing a Strategic Plan for the South Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Program.

It is a pretty lengthy read (115 pages) but if you are looking into development of US&R (or other special teams), it might provide you a little direction given that our program (SC-TF1) seems like it has done pretty well.  I attribute that success to people like Ken Bell, Tom Webb, and Don Headrick, as well as a host of others (our first Director, Ray Wilkinson, and the chiefs of our Firefighter Mobilization Oversight Committee).  The foundation that was laid for the program came at a price for many of us; between the many trips back and forth to Columbia, spending countless hours away from our families, burning up our personal cell phone minutes (no unlimited long distance in those days), and our cashing every political chip we had (and then some).

 The Task Force and the state response program is these days in the very capable hands of Ken and our new Director, Dan McManus, as well as Tom, Jason Walters, Steve Drozd, and Travis Carricato, but it all requires a good plan and a little momentum.

So look it over (hey, it got me through my third year EFO) and let me know if it is useful and if you have something you’d like to share.  A wise man (Bob McKee, from TX-TF1) once told me that he was indebted to those who shared with him in his early days, and he was a great resource to me when we were devleoping our program as well.  I hope to pay that kindness forward as well.

Posted by on February 11, 2009 • Filed under: funding, government, leadership, National Fire Academy, planning, politics, SAR, US&R

In Memoriam – SC-TF1 Search Canine "Dixie"

2 comments

dixieI recieved a report about the passing of one of our search canines, Dixie, today from Dan McManus, the SC-TF1 Director:

“It is with great sadness I report to you that Dixie, one of the State US&R Team’s four service dogs, died December 31st, 2008, due to an intestinal failure. Sadly, our 8 year old canine passed away in her kennel at the home of canine handler Duane Brock on New Years Eve, Dixie will be missed by every member on this team.

Dixie was a Labrador who has had quite an amazing life serving her country as a search and rescue canine. She started training when she was a puppy as a human scent detection canine. This type of training is used for when victims are trapped in debris and are not visible to the human eye.

 Her career started by serving almost two years with the FEMA Tennessee Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One (TN-TF1)  until she was recruited to South Carolina’s US&R Task Force (SC-TF1) in June of 2005. Shortly after joining the South Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Team, Dixie was deployed to St. Bernard Parish with the Task Force for the rescue efforts of Hurricane Katrina. Recently Dixie and our other three canines were flown to and from Columbia to Beaufort in a National Guard Chinook Helicopter to participate in the largest disaster response exercise of its kind. According to our pilots it was the first time in their long military careers have they transported Search and Rescue K9′s anywhere.

Our handlers are volunteers who take on a great amount of personal and family time in order to staff our team with specialized canines such as Dixie. During the years, any handler will tell you even though they are not your average house pet and are to be used as a highly specialized tool, they become a large part of your life and it’s hard to lose them so suddenly. Please keep Canine Handler Duane Brock and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Although Dixie was the oldest of our canines, her drive and motivation to work as a member on SC-TF1 was undeniable. Her dedication to this organization will be deeply missed by all of us and because of this, we will find a location in our new building to remember her service by.”

Posted by on January 2, 2009 • Filed under: FEMA, rescue, SAR, US&R