VIDEO: Some Alabama firefighters are on standby to help in the search and rescue operation in Texas, following the deadly flooding that killed so many people. The Tuscaloosa Fire Department got the initial call Monday, July 7 to start readying its Swift Water Search and Rescue Team.
If the final call comes, the team will be boots on the ground at ground-zero in Kerr County, Texas. A call that could come any minute now. The job is not for the faint of heart. A swift water rescue requires not just human strength, but mental toughness, according to Tuscaloosa Fire Chief Mark Delk. “It’s the mental factor you have to consider. You’re having to deal with people on their worst days, and we’re there to help them. So, do the job that’s at hand,” said Delk.
Delk says if they get the final call, 14 personnel will go along with three vehicles, as well as a swift water trailer loaded down with equipment. The operation could reportedly last up to 14 days. “I think the guys who do this line of work are good at compartmentalizing some of those things, because they’re gonna see some of the worst of the worst. We saw that with the tornado; day in, day out, searching for outcomes hoping for the best, but a lot of times you see the worst there,” said Delk.
Right now the team has been placed on a 72-hour hold, meaning they’re on standby until officials in Texas make the call. “All of our paperwork has cleared Alabama. It’s sitting on the desk in Texas,” said Delk. Until then, Delk says the potential to assist will be an ‘honor’ since a major part of the tragedy in Texas hit close to home, with the death of Sarah Marsh of Mountain Brook. She was only 8-years-old.
“In one of the emails I sent to the city council yesterday, thanking them for allowing us to do this,” said Delk. The team is packed, stocked and ready to go, ready to alleviate human suffering three states away. If the Tuscaloosa Fire Department Swift Water Rescue gets the call, it could cost the city up to $700,000 but Tuscaloosa leaders intend to seek full reimbursement from the federal government.
