In advance of Tropical Storm Helene, dozens of first responders from Northern Virginia are en route to Florida.There are experienced rescues from previous storms and other natural catastrophes on the Virginia Task Force 1 crew.
With FEMA providing guidance on the team’s route, the group of eighty individuals, four dogs, and thirty tons of material departed Chantilly on Tuesday afternoon and were anticipated to arrive in Florida late at night.
As a member of Virginia Task Force 1, Jennifer Hiner has participated in about a dozen trips. “We don’t know what the storm is going to do,” she said.
The same has made the trip to Florida for the third year in a row. The group consists of a water rescue team, a large area search and rescue squad, and a team of individuals skilled in performing building collapse rescues.
Additionally, there are canines that have been trained, such as Paul Serzan’s six-year-old black lab, Vader.
“It takes two and a half years to train a dog to do the type of work that he does,” Serzan stated. “For them, it’s just a simple game of hide and go seek. We train them to look for somebody. They give a bark alert when they find somebody, and then they get their toy.”
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Before a trip this size, the team members stated they experience a range of emotions, but they also feel a sense of purpose.
“There’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of excitement,” Serzan staed. “We’re highly skilled, highly trained individuals. This is like our Super Bowl for us. We train very hard for these moments.”
Hiner continued, “It’s just in our blood that we are ready to help when anybody’s in need. So we’re eager to get down there.”
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