October 10, 2010 - State Urban Search and Rescue Task Force to Complete Training with Live Drill

LA-TF3 is the northwest Louisiana team and the host agency is Shreveport and Bossier City Fire Departments

The State Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Team is comprised of three Task Forces. Task Force One in New Orleans, Task Force Two in Baton Rouge, and Task Force Three (LA-TF3) in Shreveport/Bossier City. LA-TF3 is the northwest Louisiana team and the host agency is Shreveport and Bossier City Fire Departments. The task force is staffed by members of the Shreveport Fire Department, Bossier City Fire Department, Caddo Fire Districts One and Three, Bossier Parish Fire District One, LSU Health and Science Center, Ruston Fire Department, and North Caddo Medical Center. LA-TF3 mission is to respond when called upon by the state of Louisiana to provide search and rescue needed from a natural or man-made disaster.
 
LA-TF3 is a state funded rescue team through the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP). GOHSEP has provided funding for equipment and now is providing the necessary training for LA-TF3 members to be prepared to respond if called upon to deploy anywhere in the state.
 
LA-TF3 began an 80-hour structural collapse class on October 4^th and that class will conclude Monday, October 11th in a live drill in the 200 block of Webster Street in Shreveport. The live drill will utilized two abandoned residences for US&R team members to perform the skills and task needed to provide rescue in a structural collapse situation that could occur from a tornado, hurricane, or terrorist event.
 
All media agencies are invited to cover the drill tomorrow between 11:30am and 12:30pm.