TX-TF1 functions as one of the 28 federal teams under FEMA's national urban search and rescue program and as Texas' only statewide urban search and rescue team under direction of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. TX-TF1 also coordinates the state's water rescue program.
Formed after the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the Task Force held its first organizational meeting on February 14, 1997. In June 2001 The Task Force joined the FEMA National US&R System.
Sponsored by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and headquartered in College Station, Texas, TX-TF1 has more than 600 members from 60 organizations throughout Texas. The team maintains a equipment cache that has anything from hydraulic jacks to medical and triage equipment.
Our Members
Members consist of firefighters, doctors, nurses, structural engineers, canine handlers, and others who are all trained to respond to mass casualty disasters.
The team is designed to be logistically self-sufficient for the first 72 hours of operation and is able to function for up to 10 days under remote and austere conditions.
Training
Members are required to complete over 90 hours of training per year, including regional training and an annual full-scale exercise in
Disaster City® or mobilization exercise.
