SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s national search and rescue response team is heading out to help areas affected by Hurricane Dorian.

45 people from the 200-member Utah Task Force 1 are expected to land in North Carolina Thursday morning, ready to help in any way that they can.

“Many of these task force members train for a half a dozen years before they see a first deployment,” Bryan Case, program manager for Utah’s Task Force 1, told KSL. “It’s highly, highly satisfying for these guys to use those skills to affect people outside of this state.”

The federally-funded team is made up of members from around the Wasatch Front. The majority of the team is made up of 30 members of the United Fire Authority, 8 members from SLCFD, 2 members from Park City Fire, 1 physician, 2 structural engineers, and 2 rescue dogs.

UT-TF1’s focus will be on water rescues and Case says they are excited to be able to use their skills to help.

“We’re all anxious to use our skillsets and go out there to do the most good to help the affected population,” he said.

 

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