By SALINA POST
Kansas has mobilized a Type 1 swift water search and rescue team to support the state of Florida and local authorities in response to Hurricane Helene. The rescue effort, facilitated by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, is part of a multi-state aid agreement under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid arrangement that enables states to provide help to one another during disasters.
The Kansas Task Force 1 team departed from Olathe and Wichita on the evening of September 24, and includes personnel from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Derby Fire Department, Junction City Fire Department, Manhattan Fire Department, Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center, Olathe Fire Department, Sedgwick County Fire District 1, and the Wichita Fire Department. Equipped with hard-bottom and inflatable boats, the team will conduct search and rescue operations in flooded areas.
The objectives of the Kansas swift-water rescue teams include locating and rescuing stranded individuals, providing basic life support, transporting humans and animals for further evacuation, performing water-based rescues, and supporting air and urban search and rescue efforts in water environments.
Kansas will be reimbursed for the deployment costs as stipulated by the EMAC agreement. The deployment demonstrates the importance of interstate collaboration during major disasters and the readiness of Kansas emergency responders to assist in critical situations beyond state borders.