Urban Search and Rescue Virginia Task Force 1

{{Short description|FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force based in Fairfax County, Virginia}}

File:Fairfax County Urban SAR conducting rescue ops inside Montana Hotel 2010-01-14.jpg.]]

File:Nepal (Image 3 of 8) (17289842985).jpg C-17 transport en route to Nepal in 2015]]

Urban Search and Rescue Virginia Task Force 1 or VA-TF1 is a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force based in Fairfax County, Virginia. VA-TF1 is sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.{{cite web | url = https://www.fema.gov/task-force-locations | title = US&R Task Force Locations | publisher = FEMA | access-date=26 September 2018}}

Established in 1986 as a domestic and international disaster response resource, sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, Virginia Task Force 1 is rostered by approximately 200 specially trained career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel, with expertise in the rescue of victims from collapsed structures, following natural disasters or terrorist attacks.{{cite web | url = http://www.vatf1.org | title = Virginia Task Force 1 | publisher = Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue | access-date = November 8, 2008}} In 2001, it was one of only two FEMA task forces trained for overseas deployments, the other being Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force 1.{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Patrick |date=2001-09-19 |title=The homecoming of heroes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/potomac-news-the-homecoming-of-heroes/171617334/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Potomac News |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/potomac-news-the-homecoming-of-heroes/171617334/ A1][https://www.newspapers.com/article/potomac-news-homecoming-2/171617405/ A2]}}{{Cite news |last=Hopper |first=Dale |date=1998-11-08 |title=Fairfax rescue spans globe |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-virginian-fairfax-rescue-spans/171617658/ |work=The News-Virginian |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-virginian-fairfax-rescue-spans/171617658/ A1][https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-virginian-globe-2/171617731/ A2] |access-date=2025-05-03 }}

The team is composed of emergency managers and planners, physicians and paramedics, and specialists in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, logistics, hazardous materials, communications, canine and technical search.

Virginia Task Force 1 has partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency for domestic responses and the United States Agency for International Development's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance to provide international responses to natural and man-made disasters. As a part of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, the task force maintains constant operational readiness as a local resource for residents of Fairfax County and surrounding jurisdictions.

Deployments

As of October 2024, VA-TF1 has taken part in the following deployments:{{cite web |date= |year= |title=Past Missions |url=https://www.vatf1.org/missions/ |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=Virginia Task Force 1}}

class="wikitable"

!Date

!Deployment

!Location

!Scope

!Team

rowspan="2" |October 2024

| rowspan="2" |Hurricane Helene

|Florida & North Carolina

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

Washington, D.C.

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

August 2024

|Hurricane Debby

|Columbia, South Carolina

|Domestic Full Team

|Type III US&R

July 2024

|Hurricane Beryl

|Texas

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

September 2023

|Hurricane Lee

|New Hampshire

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="2" |August 2023

|Hurricane Idalia

|Florida

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

2023 Hawaii wildfires

|Hawaii

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

April 2023

|2023 Peru floods

|Peru

|International Other

|United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)

rowspan="2" |February 2023

| rowspan="2" |2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake

| rowspan="2" |Türkiye

|International Full Team

|Heavy USAR

International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

October 2022

| rowspan="3" |Hurricane Ian

| rowspan="3" |Florida

| rowspan="2" |Domestic Other

|Other Domestic

rowspan="2" |September 2022

|Incident Support Team (IST)

Domestic Full Team

|Type III US&R

September 2022

|Hurricane Fiona

|Puerto Rico

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

December 2021

|2021 Western Kentucky tornado

|Kentucky

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="4" |August 2021

| rowspan="4" |2021 Haiti earthquake

| rowspan="4" |Haiti

| rowspan="3" |International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

Other International

RMT

International Full Team

|Medium USAR

September 2021

| rowspan="2" |Hurricane Ida

|Somerset, New Jersey

| rowspan="2" |Domestic Other

|MRP - Water Rescue

August 2021

|Baton Rouge, Louisiana

|Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="2" |June 2021

| rowspan="2" |Surfside condominium collapse

| rowspan="2" |Surfside, Florida

| rowspan="2" |Domestic Other

|MRP - Structures

Other Domestic

April 2021

|AST-UNEP/UNDAC Support

|Saint Vincent and The Grenadines

|International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

January 2021

|2021 Presidential inauguration

|Washington, D.C.

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

November 2020

|Hurricane Eta

|Honduras

|International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

October 2020

|Hurricane Delta

|Baton Rouge, Louisiana

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

September 2020

|Tropical Storm Beta

|College Station, Texas

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

September 2020

|Hurricane Sally

|Louisiana

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

September 2020

|2020 Oregon Wildfires

|Salem, Oregon

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="2" |August 2020

| rowspan="2" |Hurricane Laura

|Baton Rouge, Louisiana

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

Louisiana

|Domestic Full Team

|Type III US&R

December 2019

|Engineering Assessment

| rowspan="2" |Tirana, Albania

| rowspan="2" |International Other

|Other International

November 2019

|Disaster Assessment Coordination Cell (DACC)

|Americas Support Team (AST)

rowspan="3" |September 2019

| rowspan="5" |Hurricane Dorian

| rowspan="3" |The Bahamas

| rowspan="2" |International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

International Full Team

|Medium USAR

rowspan="2" |August 2019

|San Juan, Puerto Rico

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

East Coast, USA

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

May 2019

|Tropical Cyclone Kenneth

|Maputo, Mozambique

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

rowspan="2" |October 2018

| rowspan="2" |Hurricane Michael{{cite web |date=9 October 2018 |title=Fairfax Fire/Rescue @ffxfirerescue |url=https://twitter.com/VATF1/status/1049592156975976448 |access-date=11 October 2018 |website=Twitter |publisher=Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department |quote=VA-TF1 has been activated by @fema as a 16-person water rescue team in response to #HurricaneMichael. Expected departure this morning. @ffxfirerescue}}

| rowspan="2" |Florida

| rowspan="2" |Domestic Other

|MRP - Water Rescue

Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="3" |September 2018

| rowspan="3" |Hurricane Florence{{cite web |date=15 September 2018 |title=Fairfax Fire/Rescue @ffxfirerescue |url=https://twitter.com/ffxfirerescue/status/1041145813899063297 |access-date=26 September 2018 |website=Twitter |publisher=Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department |quote=@VATF1 has been activated. Two water rescue teams will be departing to assist with rescue efforts related to #HurricaneFlorence. #news #fcfrd}}{{cite web |date=15 September 2018 |title=Fairfax Fire/Rescue @ffxfirerescue |url=https://twitter.com/ffxfirerescue/status/1041167479597395969 |access-date=26 September 2018 |website=Twitter |publisher=Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department |quote=Captain Tracey Reed, member of @VATF1 provides an update. One team departing shortly. #fcfrd #HurricaneFlorence #florence}}

| rowspan="3" |North Carolina

| rowspan="3" |Domestic Other

|MRP - Water Rescue Alpha

MRP - Water Rescue Bravo

Incident Support Team (IST)

September 2018

|Hurricane Olivia

|Hawaii

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

August 2018

|Hurricane Lane

|Honolulu, Hawaii

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

October 2017

|Tropical Storm Nate

|Atlanta, Georgia

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="2" |September 2017

| rowspan="2" |Hurricane Maria

|Dominica

|International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

Puerto Rico / US Virgin Islands

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

September 2017

|Hurricane Irma

|Florida / Puerto Rico / US Virgin Islands

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R with Water Rescue

August 2017

|Hurricane Harvey

|Texas

|Domestic Other

|MRP - Water Rescue

rowspan="2" |October 2016

| rowspan="2" |Hurricane Matthew

|Port-au-Prince, Haiti

|International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

Florida

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

April 2016

|2016 Ecuador earthquake

|Ecuador

|International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

October 2015

|Hurricane Joaquin

|South Carolina

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

April 2015

|Gorkha earthquake{{cite web |title=Fairfax Fire/Rescue on Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/ffxfirerescue/status/592017619777155075 |access-date=April 28, 2015 |work=Twitter}}{{Cite news |last=Gurubacharya |first=Binaj |last2=Daigle |first2=Katy |date=2015-04-27 |title=Nepal toll rises as nations send help |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-nepal-toll-rises/171618820/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-nepal-toll-rises/171618820/ A1][https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-nepal-2/171618913/ A6]}}

|Nepal

|International Full Team

|Medium USAR

January 2015

|2014 Liberia ebola outbreak

|Liberia

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

June 2014

|2014 Paraguay floods

|Asunción, Paraguay

|International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

April 2014

|2014 Arkansas Tornado

|Jacksonville, Arkansas

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

April 2014

|2014 Oso mudslide

|Washington

|Domestic Other

|Other Domestic

November 2013

|Typhoon Haiyan

|Philippines

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

May 2013

|2013 Moore tornado

|Moore, Oklahoma

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

November 2012

|2012 Guatemala earthquake

|Guatemala City, Guatemala

|International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

rowspan="2" |October 2012

| rowspan="2" |Hurricane Sandy

| rowspan="2" |East Coast, USA

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

August 2012

|Hurricane Isaac

|Alexandria, Louisiana

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="2" |August 2011

| rowspan="2" |Hurricane Irene

|Virginia / New York

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

Outer Banks, North Carolina / New Jersey

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

March 2011

|Great East Japan Earthquake{{cite web |date=11 March 2011 |title=Tsunami Update 4: Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) deploying to Japan |url=http://blog.fema.gov/2011/03/tsunami-update-4-urban-search-rescue-us.html |access-date=March 15, 2011 |work=FEMA Blog |publisher=FEMA}}{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Keith |date=2011-03-14 |title=Task Force 1 lands in Japan |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-messenger-task-force-1-lands-in/171615413/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=News and Messenger |pages=2}}

|Japan

|International Full Team

|Heavy USAR

November 2010

|2010s Haiti cholera outbreak

|Haiti

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

November 2010

|Hurricane Tomas

|Haiti

|International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

September 2010

|Hurricane Earl

|Boston, Massachusetts

|Domestic Full Team

|Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="2" |January 2010

| rowspan="2" |2010 Haiti earthquakehttp://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2010/pr100112.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020045650/http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2010/pr100112.html|date=October 20, 2011}} USAID Responds Immediately to Haiti Earthquake PRESS RELEASE January 12, 2010{{Cite news |date=2010-01-16 |title=Desperation grows as aid trickles in |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-desperation-grow/171618079/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Richmond Times-Dispatch |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-desperation-grow/171618079/ A1][https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-haiti-2/171618192/ A8]}}

| rowspan="2" |Haiti

| rowspan="2" |International Full Team

|Medium USAR

Heavy USAR

March 2009

|2009 North Dakota floods

|Fargo, North Dakota

|Domestic Full Team

|Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="2" |January 2009

| rowspan="2" |2009 Presidential inauguration

| rowspan="2" |Washington, D.C.

| rowspan="2" |Domestic Full Team

|Incident Support Team (IST)

Type I US&R

November 2008

|Pétion-Ville school collapse

|Pétion-Ville, Haiti

|International Full Team

|Medium USAR

November 2008

|2008 Panama floods

|Panama

|International Other

|United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)

October 2008

|Hurricane Omar

|Miami, Florida

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

September 2008

|Hurricane Hanna

|Haiti

|International Other

|Americas Support Team (AST)

rowspan="3" |September 2008

| rowspan="3" |Hurricane Ike

| rowspan="2" |Alexandria, Louisiana

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

rowspan="2" |Domestic Full Team

|Type III US&R

Jacksonville, Florida

|Type I US&R

August 2008

|Hurricane Gustav

|Atlanta, Georgia

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

August 2008

|2008 Republican National Convention

|Minneapolis, Minnesota

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

July 2008

|Tropical Storm Dolly

|San Antonio, Texas

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

July 2008

|2008 Midwest floods

|Midwest, USA

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

May 2008

|Great Sichuan earthquake

|China

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

May 2008

|Cyclone Nargis

|Myanmar

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

February 2008

|2008 Bolivian floods

|Bolivia

|International Other

|United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)

February 2008

|USA-193 satellite reentry

|USA

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

September 2007

|Hurricane Felix

|Honduras

|International Other

|United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)

August 2007

|2007 Peru earthquake{{cite web |date=11 March 2012 |title=Virginia Task Force 1 News & Info |url=http://www.vatf1.org/news.cfm/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312010637/http://www.vatf1.org/news.cfm/ |archive-date=12 March 2012 |website=Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department |publisher=Fairfax County Government}}

|Peru

|International Other

|United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)

August 2007

|Hurricane Dean

|Fort Worth, Texas

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

May 2007

|2007 Greensburg Tornado

|Greensburg, Kansas

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

August 2006

|Hurricane Ernesto

|Florida

|Domestic Full Team

|Type III US&R

October 2005

|Hurricane Wilma

|Orlando, Florida

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

October 2005

|2005 Kashmir earthquake

|Pakistan

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

September 2005

|Hurricane Rita

|Fort Worth, Texas

|Domestic Full Team

|Type III US&R

September 2005

|Hurricane Ophelia

|Virginia Beach, Virginia

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

August 2005

|Hurricane Katrina

|Biloxi, Mississippi / New Orleans, Louisiana

|Domestic Full Team

|Type III US&R

December 2004

|2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

|Indonesia

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

August 2004

|2004 Republican National Convention

|New York City, New York

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

August 2004

|Hurricane Charley

|Charlotte County, Florida

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

July 2004

|2004 Democratic National Convention

|Boston, Massachusetts

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

June 2004

|2004 G-8 summit

|Sea Island, Georgia

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

February 2004

|2004 Al Hoceïma earthquake

|Al Hoceïma, Morocco

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

December 2003

|2003 Bam earthquake{{Cite news |date=2003-12-28 |title=Va. team to help in Iran |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-progress-va-team-to-help-in-i/171617907/ |work=The Daily Progress |access-date=2025-05-03 }}

|Bam, Iran

|International Full Team

|Heavy USAR

September 2003

|Hurricane Isabel

|Eastern Seaboard, USA

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

February 2003

|SS Columbia Disaster

|Eastern Texas, USA

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

August 2002

|Danube River floods

|Czech Republic

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

February 2002

|2002 Winter Olympics

|Salt Lake City, Utah

|Domestic Other

|Incident Support Team (IST)

September 2001

|September 11 attacks{{cite web |date=6 November 2009 |title=Virginia Task Force 1 |url=http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/news/2009archive/2009_080.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824145625/http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/news/2009archive/2009_080.htm |archive-date=24 August 2016 |website=Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department |publisher=Fairfax County Government}}

|The Pentagon, Virginia

|Domestic Full Team

|Type I US&R

March 2000

|2000 Mozambique flood

|Maputo, Mozambique

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

November 1999

|1999 Düzce earthquake

|Ducze, Turkey

|International Full Team

|Heavy USAR

September 1999

|Jiji earthquake

|Touliu, Taiwan

|International Full Team

|Heavy USAR

August 1999

|Gölcük earthquake{{Cite news |last=Pugh |first=Kari |date=1999-08-25 |title=Quake rescuers return |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-free-lance-star-quake-rescuers-retur/171618422/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=The Free Lance-Star |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-free-lance-star-quake-rescuers-retur/171618422/ A1][https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-free-lance-star-rescuers-return-home/171618489/ A10]}}

|İzmit, Turkey

|International Full Team

|Heavy USAR

August 1998

|1998 US embassy bombings{{Cite news |date=1998-09-08 |title=Virginia fire and rescue worker aids in Kenya |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/culpeper-star-exponent-virginia-fire-and/171616638/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Culpeper Star-Exponent |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/culpeper-star-exponent-virginia-fire-and/171616638/ 1][https://www.newspapers.com/article/culpeper-star-exponent-rescue-2/171616670/ 5]}}

|Nairobi, Kenya

|International Full Team

|Heavy USAR

July 1998

|Balkan food drop

|Pescara, Italy

|International Other

|Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)

September 1996

|Hurricane Fran

|Topsail, North Carolina

|Domestic Full Team