BELLEVUE, Wis. (WFRV) – As major flooding devastates Texas, those here in northeast Wisconsin are taking to the front lines while others are training for the next call.
The Green Bay Metro Fire Department has 27 members on their Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR), which specializes in these types of cases.
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Jordan Waack, an engineer paramedic, said the team comes in when disaster strikes.
“An urban search and rescue team is designed to go into an area that has experienced disaster and then take care of the harder problems,” Waack said.
Waack added that they are trained in a variety of ways.
“This team is trained in multiple different disciplines when it comes to rescue,” Waack said, “So we are trained in rope rescue, trench rescue, fine space rescue, and structure collapse.”
11 fire department members, including Waack, are a part of Wisconsin Task Force One, a unit that goes nationwide to provide relief aid. Last summer, Waack was deployed for 14 days to North Carolina during Hurricane Helene.
It was Task Force One’s first deployment, and the challenges they faced made relief efforts harder.
“About four hours out from where we were, where we were supposed to meet, we lost cell service. I didn’t get to talk to my wife for three days,” Waack said. “Once we got down into the disaster area, there was no cell service or radio. It was a very challenging environment to be in.”
Right now, five members of Wisconsin Task Force One are in Texas offering search and rescue relief.
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“One of our members is in a canine support team, and the others are in a swift water package,” Waack said.
All efforts are to find victims of the flooding. The team is aiding search and rescue operations to help provide closure and support to the families who have lost everything during the devastating floods.
