This page will be updated with information about the deployment status of your family, friends and loved ones. The LAFD along with United Firefighters of Los Angeles City (UFLAC) and Los Angeles Firemen’s Relief Association(LAFRA) is here to support you with ANYTHING you need.

Please feel free to contact Assistant Chief Patrick Butler at 310-692-5259   24/7 if you have any questions about the deployment, status or any updates about the LAFD FEMA CATF1 while on deployment.

Hurricane Irma

September 13, 2017
The team continued work in the Keys conducting recon, conducting search data
collection, search and rescue operations, and providing medical services. The
operational area is a 2.5 square mile area with a population of about 5,000
people. The team searched 831 structures during their operational period today.

Tonight
The team plans on getting plenty of rest this evening so that they can get an
early start in the morning to take advantage of the cooler weather during the
early morning hours.

Communications
Cell service still is spotty and mostly unavailable in the Keys. AT&T and Verizon
crews are working to restore service.

Stress Management
Dr. Steven Froehlich, Director of Behavioral Health Services at The United
Firefighters of Los Angeles City, has put together some helpful stress
management information for you. The information he shared will be on the
following 2 pages of this document.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
——————————————————————————————
CA-TF1 Urban Search and Rescue Deployment Support Team
818.756.9677

Local 112, International Association of Fire Fighters
_________________________________________________________________________

US&R HOMECOMING

FOR SPOUSES, FAMILIES AND SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

First, we want to thank you all for your support and sacrifices. While we know that you are so very
proud of your US&R TEAM MEMBER, we are also aware that deployments can be challenging times
for our families. Knowing that your Team Member is far away working under very difficult
circumstances can be very stressful and cause great concern. Also, we completely understand that
your day to day lives change instantly upon deployments as well. We can’t tell you enough how much
we appreciate your support and sacrifice.

As you prepare for the return of your loved one, we just want to share some information that you may
find helpful:

1. Your loved one has expended great energy and has not had his/her usual rest. They will be
excited to reunite with you, but when that adrenaline runs out they will most likely be
exhausted. You already know how your loved one gets when he/she is tired, so you have a
pretty good idea how they will be. With sleep and rest they will return to their normal state
within a week or two in most cases.
2. After the excitement of reuniting has occurred your loved one may be quiet and need alone
time to process what he/she has just experienced. Every individual is different, but this is
normal for many and will slowly dissipate within a week or two if it does occur.

during the deployment cycle. Usually, it begins with great excitement and feeling very proud of
what Team Members are about to do. As time goes on, this moves into missing your Team
Member and feelings of loneliness. After about a week, this can transition into feelings of
frustration and even anger as the stress of handling everything alone builds up. Inevitably there
are things that go wrong along the way. Appliances and cars can break and kids still need to get
to school, after school activities and homework needs to get done. Deployments can present
many challenges to our families. I have also seen that being aware of these normal feelings and
reactions can be a big help in working them through. Please give yourselves and your Team
Members a little time to reconnect and you will return to your normal state within a week or
two.

We cannot thank you enough for the sacrifices that each of you makes that allows your Team
Member to function at the highest level as a member of USAR. We are here for you, each step of
the way. Please do not hesitate to let us know if there is anything that you need.

THANK YOU!
Dr. Steven Froehlich
Director of Behavioral Health Services
Ph.D., MFT 7666
Office (800) 252-8352 ext. 245
Cell (818) 645-9027

September 13, 2017

The team completed their recon, and search and rescue operations assignment
in their assigned area. The team searched a 16-square mile are with over 2,000
homes. The team also assisted with providing medical services for residents in
the area.
Today
This morning the team will be working in another area in the Keys conducting
recon, medical services, and search and rescue operations in a 2.5 square mile
area with a population of about 5,000 people.
In the morning briefing the Task Force Leaders updated us that the team is doing
good and their spirits are high.
Communications
Currently, cell phones are not working in the Keys but the team has satellite
phones and satellite internet. We have 3 phone briefings a day with the Task Force
Leaders so that we are up to date regarding the team. We are also using a texting
app and get situational awareness updates throughout the day.
If you have a need to notify your family member of an urgent matter, please
contact us and we will make arrangements to assist you.
In the News
Here is a news story from the NY Times regarding our team.

September 12, 2017

The team conducted recon and search and rescue operations in the Florida Keys in an
area with over 2,000 homes. The team also completed the setup of their BoO and
Command Post. They are located in a building that can accommodate 96 people in a
dorm style setting.
Once again, the diversity of the experience within the team came into play today. One of
the team members, who is a licensed electrician, wired the generator from the
equipment cache into the building being used as the BoO. This provided the team with
lights and air conditioning. This was a great addition to their BoO because is gave the
team a comfortable place to rest and recover after working long days with high
temperatures and high humidity.
Tonight
Because of the hazards involved with this type of search and rescue operation, the team
will typically not conduct night operations.
Condition of the team members
The team spirit is still high. The biggest factor for that is they are getting good
assignments and able to do what they all have trained countless hours for.
Communications
Currently, cell phones are still not working in the Keys and we are still in communication
with them by satellite phones. They did get some satellite internet up and running but is
only used by the team managers for sending and receiving information critical to the
mission.
If you have a need to notify your family member of an urgent matter, please contact us
and we will make arrangements to assist you.
Photos
I added a few more approved pictures and a video to the google drive. You can also
search the FEMA Media Library for pictures. During past deployments, there have been
pictures of our team on there.
Family Updates
Because of the communication issues I will send out 2 Family Updates until the
communications get better. There will be one update in the am, one in the pm, and I will
send one if any critical information needs to go out.

September 11, 2017

The team was staged at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando,
Florida. They and assisted the State of Florida Incident Management Team (IMT)
with setting up their command post and assisted with incident planning. Together,
CA-TF1 and the Florida IMT developed the Incident Action Plan for the entire
South Operations Branch of the US&R Response.
One of the many things that makes this team great is the diversity of the
experience the members have. These skill sets are part of their normal LAFD
roles and they have come in handy during this mission. The team doesn’t have
Public Information Officers (PIO). That role is performed by the FEMA US&R IST
PIO. As a result of the overwhelming size of the impacted area the IST PIOs
can’t be everywhere all the time and as a result a few members of the team
conducted 15 interviews with the press yesterday.
Today
Now that the winds are at a safe speed the team received the green light to
deploy. They are headed to the Florida Keys. They will set up a BoO in
Homestead, Florida at the Florida Task Force 1 warehouse.
Their mission will be to conduct recon and search and rescue operations in the
Keys.
Communications
Currently, cell phones are not working in the Keys but the team has satellite
phones and radios for communicating.
If you have a need to notify your family member of an urgent matter, please
contact us and we will make arrangements to assist you.
Never Forget
Today is the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. There are 13 members of the
LAFD (2 retired and working on the IST) that were on the 9/11 CA-TF1
deployment.
They are: Wade White, Steve Hissong, Tom Kitihata, Brian Labrie, Jaime
Lesinski, Greg Palmer, Chuck Ruddell, Francine Vogler, Craig White (IST),
Denise Jones, Rick Warford (IST), Jack Wise (IST), and Robby Cordobes.
Although Mike Horst didn’t deploy with CA-TF1 for 9/11 his father, Stan Horst did

September 10, 2017

The team gathered up at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando,
Florida. They setup their temporary Base of Operations and assisted the State of
Florida Incident Management Team (IMT) with setting up their command post. The
CA-TF1 Plans Team have been asked to assist with incident planning until the
Florida IMT is fully staffed. The also had discipline break out training sessions.
Today
The team is currently sheltered in place at the Orlando Convention Center. The
CA-TF1 Plans Team members will continue to assist the Florida IMT with
developing contingency plans based on the changing events with Hurricane Irma.
The team will continue discipline break out training sessions.
The State of Florida is maintaining situational awareness and gathering data on
the reports of damage in the area. The team cannot deploy to the impacted areas
until it is safe to travel. The team will remain mission ready for any requests for
assistance.
Communications
Currently, cell phones are still working but, there is always a chance that
communications will go down. There are occasions where cell service will down
but texting still works so there may be some ability to contact team members
using text.
If the cell phones are down and you have a need to notify your family member of
an urgent matter, please contact us and we will make arrangements to assist
you.
The CA-TF1 communications team conducted satellite phone tests this am and
we currently have communication with them.
Stories About the Team
Here are some links to stories about the team.
There are also some new pics uploaded to the google drive
http://abc7.com/2397855/
https://goo.gl/46b4Nv

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Yesterday Sept 8th
The team joined up at Moody Air Force Base (Moody AFB) in Georgia and stayed
the night.
Today
The team will travel to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
Their estimated time of arrival is 1330 edt. This will be their staging location
where they will respond from to the areas that will be impacted by Hurricane
Irma. Their mission assignments will be based on requests from the local and
state emergency management officials that work with the FEMA US&R
representatives.
Communications
It is anticipated that communications in the area will be non-existent or sporadic
at best. There are occasions where cell service will down but texting still works
so there may be some ability to contact team members using text.
The team has satellite phones and we will have communication contact with
them. If the cell phones are down and you have a need to notify your family
member of an urgent matter, please contact us and we will make arrangements
to assist you.
Mission Readiness
While enroute to the Staging location the team will develop response plans for
various types of missions. Some examples of these missions would be search
and rescue operations, water rescue operations, and humanitarian support.
These plans include describing position duties and responsibilities and the rules
of engagement for a particular mission. The purpose of this pre-mission planning
is to allow team members to have awareness as to what their roles are and what
is expected of them.

September 7, 2017
The team made their way to Moody Air Force Base (Moody AFB) in GA. The
equipment cache reached Moody AFB safely and the crew made it to
Montgomery, AL and stayed the night.

The crew group began their travel to Moody AFB and while enroute picked up 3
additional team members at the airport.
Contingency Planning and How it Impacts the Team
The FEMA US&R Branch is coordinating contingency plans based on the current
status of this event. That means that although the plan is for the team to stage at
Moody AFB they can be redirected at any time. There are a number of factors
that could create a change in the staging location. The main issue for a change
would be the fact that Hurricane Irma’s projected path could change and this
would change the staging location. The idea is to stage the team in a safe
location but still be close enough to respond in a timely manner.
Please let us know if you have any questions or need help in any way. No
request is too small. We are here for you and have a lot of people willing to help
if you need it.

There are now a total of 12 type 1 US&R teams (TN-TF1, AZ-TF1, CA-TF4, CA-
TF1, PA-TF1, CO-TF1, CA-TF8, NE-TF1, CA-TF3, NJ-TF1, NV-TF1, and WA-
TF1); and three Hazardous Materials Equipment Push Packages (HEPPs) (MD-
TF1, IN-TF1 & CO-TF1) activated to stage in either Florida or Georgia.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
0800 HOURS
CA-TF1 HURRICANE IRMA DEPLOYMENT
FAMILY UPDATE #1
Good Morning,
Yesterday, in what ended up being our last message regarding Hurricane
Harvey, we informed you that the team had been demobilized and was headed to
El Paso for their first overnight stop.
At the request of FEMA Region IV, and in anticipation of potential requests for
Federal US&R assistance, eight type 1 (70 member) US&R task forces (VA-TF1,
TN-TF1, NY-TF1, AZ-TF1, CA-TF4, CA-TF1, PA-TF1 & CO-TF1); three
Hazardous Materials Equipment Push Packages (HEPPs) (MD-TF1, IN-TF1 &
CO-TF1) were activated.
CA-TF1 was reassigned to Hurricane Irma and given orders to stage in Alabama.
Today the team will be traveling to Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama for
staging with an estimated arrival date of 9/7/2017.

CA-TF1 is now in Dallas, Texas and will sleep there this evening.

Their destination of Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama has been changed to Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.
This change puts them in a better response position and allows the ability to adapt to the direction that Hurricane Irma decides to go.

Hurricane Harvey

Photos approved for release:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B-v3loYmlXMCZEZMWlBxRDVEMEU

Update #1
Brief Update on CATF-1
The team is still traveling on Hwy 10 to San Antonio (Reporting location)
They have been on the road for over 27 hours with many fuel stops.
One of the Heavy Transport vehicles had a small mechanical issue but in true fire
department family tradition the Tucson FD came to the rescue to help and got the
transport back on the road.
The team is still 20 miles from their Point of Assembly in San Antonio.
The team members and search dogs are all ok and in good spirits. They are
geared up and ready to carry out their mission of assisting those in need.

Update #2

This afternoon California Task Force 1 (CA-TF 1) arrived in their
assigned operational area and began setting a temporary Base of
Operations (BoO).
The BoO is their home away from home. Once completed the BoO
gives the team a place to safely rest, eat, shower, and rehab their
equipment.
Typically water rescue operations are not conducted at night so the
team will begin search and rescue operations in the morning. But, just
like being at the fire station back home, they are always ready to
respond if duty calls.
The next family update will be sent in the morning.
If you would like to see more information on the FEMA operations in
Texas you can follow FEMA on twitter @fema and search the
#Harvey

Update #3

August 28

The CA-TF1 Team arrived in their area of operation last night 8/28. They were assigned to the Wharton Branch and set up a temporary Base of Operation at the local fairgrounds for the night.The operational period for today starts at 0700 and CA-TF1 has deployed to Katy, Texas. Today the team will be conducting search and rescue operations in the area and assisting with evacuations. The Team has also moved the BoO to Bryan, Texas.

There are 28 FEMA US&R teams in the country and all 28 teams have been deployed as well various FEMA US&R support components. That is over 1 thousand FEMA US&R team members working in the operational area.

Update #4

August 29

Yesterday CA-TF1 US&R Team conducted search and rescue and water rescue
operations in their assigned area of operation. The team was working in the area
of Katy, Texas. The team conducted searches of 205 structures in the area and rescued 50
adults, 4 children, and 12 animals. The team also assisted local residents by evacuating them from the flooded areas and helping them to safely move their families and pets to safe locations. This morning the team will continue conducting search and rescue and water rescue operations in the Katy, Texas area.
Members of the team are in good spirits and working hard to help the people of Texas.
——————————————————————————————

Update #5
Yesterday your CA-TF1 US&R Team conducted recon and primary search
operations in their assigned area of operation. The team was working in the area
of Simonton, Texas.
CA-TF1 conducted a recon of the area and based on that information the team
prioritzed it’s efforts in order to conduct a primary search of 60 homes in the
area. No rescues, no evacuation asistance was performed and they documented
the location of 3 adults that were sheltered in place. CA-TF1 also assisted
homeowners with retrieving their pets. A total of four pets were retrieved.
The team has moved it’s BoO to Katy, Texas. This move puts them closer to their
work area and eliminates their 2 hour drive each way to the work site.
This morning the team will continue conducting search and rescue and water
rescue operations in the Hungerford, Texas area.
Members of the team are in good spirits and working hard to help the people of
Texas.
There are photos on a flickr site and those can be found by clicking on this link:

Update #6

Yesterday your CA-TF1 US&R Team conducted recon by boat and by air in their
assigned area of operation. The team was working in the area of Hungerford,
Texas and Wharton, Texas.
After completing the recon of the area, the team divided the search area up and
assigned search teams to conduct a primary search of 36 homes in the area. The
team assisted with 4 evacuations, rescued 4 pets, conducted a medical
assessment of one male adult suffering from dehydration, and documented the
information of 36 people who were sheltered in place.
The BoO is now up and running in Katy, Texas. This move has eliminated the
need of the 2 hour drive each way for the team and provides better conditions for
rest and rehab.
This morning the team will continue conducting search and rescue and water
rescue operations in the Wharton, Texas area.
Members of the team are in good spirits and working hard to help the people of
Texas.