WEST JORDAN — As hurricane Helene ravages the southeast, Utah Task Force One has been deployed to Georgia to assist local agencies with rescue and recovery efforts.
“Our team is widely respected around the country, and they’re highly skilled in what they do,” said Unified Fire Captain Tony Barker. “They are our special forces, and when they get deployed, they’re equipped to handle most everything.”
The task force was notified around 8 a.m. to begin preparations for a possible activation. By midday, the order had come through, and 45 members of the team had dropped everything in their personal lives to answer the call for help.
“We’ve never been short for personnel that are willing to step up when that call is sent,” Barker said.
The team headed to Georgia comprises highly trained rescuers from eight fire departments in Utah: Unified Fire Authority, Salt Lake City, Park City, West Jordan, South Jordan, Provo, West Valley City and Ogden.
“They are sending out boats with these folks, they’re also sending out three K-9 teams,” Barker said. “The disciplines are far-reaching — trench collapse, building collapse, confined space rescue, recovery.”
Utah Task Force One has not been assigned to a specific area in Georgia, but once the team makes the 25- to 27-hour drive across the country, they will be assigned an area to work in. It’s also unknown how long the team will remain in Georgia; they’re activated for up to two weeks.
“Sometimes they get there, and they’ll work at their initial destination, sometimes they get relocated to areas of need,” Barker said.
Volunteers with the Utah Red Cross are also aiding people affected by the hurricane.
