Following the deadly wildfires in Maui last month the call went out to Nebraska Task Force One Chief Brad Thavenet. He and other urban search and rescue teams from across the country responded to help with recovery efforts after the fires killed nearly 100 people.
Thavenet went there to help coordinate federal, local and state resources. He tells KLIN News 40 K9 teams from around the country were brought in to search the eight square mile burn area. He says the local police chief had a 12 foot fence erected around the burn area and declared it a crime scene to keep everyone else out except task force members.
“And then utilizing the tools that we have, specifically our human remains detection dogs and our search managers, to be able to systematically search an area to provide as much closure as we can.”
Thavenet says the teams had the grim task of searching homes, businesses and vehicles for human remains and helping local authorities to identify them. Thavenet worked with the Blue Incident Support team that helped support task force teams from California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington State and Indiana.
The Lincoln based Nebraska Task Force One is one of 28 urban search and rescue teams that Thavenet calls the nation’s 911 system for catastrophic events. He says they have responded to several hurricanes and building collapses. They have about 175 members from Lincoln Fire and Rescue, Omaha Fire as well as Papillion, Council Bluffs and Grand Island.
In addition they have civilians on the task force, including K9 handlers, emergency room doctors and heavy equipment operators from a local construction company. Thavenet says when the task force gets a call they have four hours to gather everything and head out the door.