According to a report from FOX 5 DC, Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) first responders gave an exclusive look at the training process for rescue trainees who go into potentially dangerous situations such as the current situation with the collapsed condo building in Surfside, Florida.
Maryland Task Force One (MTF1) is trained specifically to find people trapped under debris or piles of rubble, which requires training; special equipment to break up concrete; cameras and listening devices; and dogs that can sniff out signs of human life.
They’ve been dispatched to the Pentagon attack on 9/11, and their most recent response was to the Flower Branch Explosion in Silver Spring. One of the technicians showed how the responders use a special camera to search for victims.
MCFRS Chief Scott Goldstein, who was also dispatched with a similar rescue team to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1999, says someone can survive for seven to 10 days underneath rubble. After that, it would likely turn into a recovery mission.
MTF1 and teams like it have already begun assisting in Florida. Depending on the length of the mission, the MCFRS team could be called to help.
