6/26/2021

  Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Task Force 6, 4 and 3 Deployed to Surfside to Assist in Condo Collapse Support   SURFSIDE, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis announced that members of the Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Task Force 6 Southwest Florida, 4 Central Florida and 3 Hillsborough have been deployed to Surfside to assist Miami-Dade on the scene of the condo collapse. US&R Task Force 6 and 4 are working side-by-side with US&R Task Force 2 City of Miami, and Task Force 3 will be on scene today and will be aiding in search efforts for the next several days. The remaining three state US&R teams have been placed on alert and are prepared to support operations. Heavy excavation equipment is on site working to de-layer the pile, as crews and canine units continue search operations.   CFO & State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said, “We know we have incredible professionals on the ground who are putting their own lives at risk. It’s not enough that they’re dealing with a building collapse or bad weather - they’re also combatting a fire under the debris as they fight to save lives. We’ve learned a lot of lessons from the past, and we know we have to think about the physical and mental health of these firefighters. We’ve got technology like respirators and practices like cleaning the equipment after use, to protect firefighters from cancer-causing carcinogens. We know, however, that the mental health aspect of this tragedy is something we’ll need to engage for the short and long-term. We’ve learned from previous crises how these situations affect the well-being of our first responders - and we cannot allow their spiritual or mental well-being go neglected. This is something we’re planning to actively tackle as this recovery operation continues.”   The State Fire Marshal’s Office oversees Florida’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (US&R) teams. There is a total of eight US&R teams statewide that are immediately deployed to aid communities that have been impacted by a natural or man-made disaster. The Department of Financial Services has also established a remote executive coordination cell to fully support the CFO’s areas of responsibility such as emergency search and rescue and other vitally needed resources.   ###

About CFO Jimmy Patronis  Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida’s Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and Twitter