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Consideration of approval of an intergovernmental agreement with the State of Wisconsin for Urban Search & Rescue Response Services
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Submitted by:
James Case
Department:
Fire Department
Issue
Request for approval to allow the Wauwatosa Fire Department to enter into an agreement with the State of Wisconsin, Department of Military Affairs to participate in a statewide urban search & rescue team.
Issues for Consideration
The State of Wisconsin has created a statewide urban search and rescue team called Wisconsin Task Force 1 (WI-TF1). This task force consists of fire department personnel from 34 different agencies around the state. WI-TF1 is a team of individuals specializing in urban hazard mitigation, search and rescue, and incident stabilization. While their emphasis is the location and extraction of victims trapped in collapsed structures or confined spaces, the task force is capable of responding to state and national disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and man-made technological and terrorist threats. WI-TF1 is a response asset managed by Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), funded through federal Homeland Security funds.
WI-TF1 is comprised of more than 140 highly-trained personnel including structural engineers, canine handlers, technical search specialists, doctors, and advanced rescue personnel. Many of the members are firefighters with local fire departments that have signed an agreement with WEM to make their personnel available for training and deployment. The participating agencies are reimbursed by WEM when their personnel an engaged in WI-TF1 activities.
The Wauwatosa Fire Department has been selected to provide one (1) person to the task force starting in 2026. Once selected, this individual will continue to perform their primary duties with our department on their normal schedule. There is significant initial and ongoing training required for this position. Depending on scheduling, the assigned member...
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