fire@williamsburgva.gov
Phone: 220-6220
Emergency: 911
Technical Rescue Services
Virginia Task Force-2The Williamsburg Fire Department, in conjunction with other departments from the Hampton Roads area, supports the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Urban Search and Rescue Response System. We provide three highly trained rescue specialists and their equipment to deploy with Virginia Task Force - 2, the areas regional team, in the mitigation of natural and man made disasters. WFD also has six members who are on a local team that covers the Williamsburg/James City areas.
FEMA: US & R
The National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Response System, under the auspices of the Federal Emergency Management Agency* (FEMA), is a framework for structuring existing emergency services personnel from the local level into integrated disaster response task forces. These task forces, replete with their necessary tools and equipment, and requisite skills and techniques, can be deployed by FEMA for the rescue of victims and mitigation of hazards at large scale disasters.
US & R Structure
A US&R Task Force is defined as a comprehensive formation of 56 specialist positions. the task force is comprised of four major functional elements and associated supervisory positions, and is staffed to allow for around-the-clock search and rescue operations.
The evolution of integrated disaster response shows the need to combine the elements for search and rescue, medical and technical disciplines. To this end, the resulting US&R task force provides the requisite technical skills at the commensurate levels of staffing. The task force is supported by a comprehensive equipment cache totaling 30,000 pounds which permits total team self-sufficiency for an immediate mission response.
Task Force Capabilities
- Physical search and rescue operations in damaged/collapsed structures
- Emergency medical care to disaster response personnel
- Emergency medical care to the injured
- Reconnaissance to assess damage and needs and provide feedback to local, state, and federal officials
- Assessment/shut off of utilities to houses and buildings
- Hazardous materials surveys/evaluations
- Structural/hazard evaluations of government/municipal buildings needed for immediate occupancy to support disaster relief operations
- Stabilizing damaged structures, including shoring and cribbing operations on damaged buildings.
The addition of technical rescue specialists to the array of services provided by the Williamsburg Fire Department insures that we are properly prepared to handle any situation that may arise. If the situation is beyond the scope or our capabilities, we can call on the resources available from other local agencies up to and including FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Task force to provide additional support.