Utah Task Force One members at Florida condo collapse site
Jul 8, 2021, 12:29 PM
Rescue crews work at the site of the collapsed Champlain Towers South condo building after the remaining structure was demolished Sunday, in Surfside, Fla., Monday, July 5, 2021. Many people are unaccounted for in the rubble of the building which partially collapsed June 24. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Two members of Utah Task Force One traveled to Florida to help with recovery efforts at the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida.
Battalion Chief Bryan Case says the nation’s federal disaster response system brings together teams from task forces around the country. Federal authorities asked two Utah Task Force One members to go, too.
UTTF-1 has sent two members to support recovery operations for the Champlain Towers in Surfside Florida#miamidade@FireAuthority
— Utah Task Force 1 (@UTTF1) July 8, 2021
“They’ll be helping specifically with some of the operational decisions at the management level, and also providing for the overall site safety as part of that incident support team,” he said.
Read more: Search back on after rest of South Florida condo demolished
Case says a recovery effort means they don’t expect to find anyone alive anymore.
“It carries a lot of emotion, but it also changes the operational tempo. It allows us to step back and be a little more methodical and be a little more safe for the rescuers’ sake,” he said. “They can be a little more cautious in their approach.”
Case says these kinds of deployments usually last around two weeks. However, members of Utah Task Force One will stay on the condo collapse site longer if needed.
He said they will have long hours with a lot of responsibility.
