A Los Angeles County Urban Search and Rescue team is being deployed to aid local authorities in Mexico following the devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake there. County fire department spokeswoman Vanessa Lozano stated that the team was given the confirmation to deploy about 2:35 p.m. on Wednesday. They will leave from March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County and head to Mexico. Team members had been awaiting the green light after gathering at a staging location in Pacoima. The team of about 60 members includes firefighters and medical personnel, and their gear includes food and water and other supplies that allow them to be self-sufficient when deployed to disaster zones.
Fire personnel could be seen at the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force headquarters in Pacoima loading equipment onto trucks and placing their backpacks on the ground in preparation for their trip. The crews could have been also deployed to Puerto Rico if needed for hurricane relief there. The earthquake has caused about 245 deaths and it is important to try and reach the people that may be stuck under rubble or debris to avoid adding more to the number of deaths related to the earthquake. Earlier this week, a 70-member team of Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters returned from a 24-day deployment to Texas and Florida, where they assisted in rescues and recovery following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Hopefully, the Urban Search and Rescue team is able to find people that may still be alive and the team is able to return safely back to California.
