Pasadena Fire Search and Rescue Personnel Train with Other Cities for Regional Earthquake Catastrophe Response

Twenty-nine specially trained personnel from the cities of Pasadena, Glendale, Arcadia, Monrovia, Alhambra, Monterey Park and San Gabriel will go through an Urban Search and Rescue Regional Task Force 4 training to keep them in shape to respond to large scale incidents such as earthquakes, flooding, and terrorism.

RTF-4 uses urban search and rescue heavy vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and specialized trailers which will be included in the training. The team is completely self-sufficient for the first 24-hours immediately after a major incident and is organized to work 12-hour operational periods.

Lisa Derderian, Public Information Officer for the Pasadena Fire Department, says the training is in preparation for a catastrophic earthquake, for which the region she says is well overdue, and inevitable large incidents.

“Training, coordination, familiarization and outreach are vital to successful preparation, response and recovery,” Derderian says. “The purpose of this class is to introduce the Regional Task Force, their capabilities, position descriptions and highlight the equipment that would be brought on a deployment.”

Derderian is also Emergency Management Coordinator for RTF-4 which is headquartered in Pasadena.

The Task Force provides five functional elements that include Supervision, Search, Rescue, Medical and Tool/Equipment Support. The Search and Rescue component also includes a Canine and Technical Search capabilities.

For more information about RTF-4, visit www.cartf4.wix.com/cartf4.