Teams from Montgomery County headed to the island of Maui, Hawaii to aid in wildfire recovery, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS).
Maryland Task Force 1 (MD-TF1) will support ongoing search and rescue operations, according to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer.
FEMA activated two MCFRS FEMA canine handler teams to arrive in Maui on Sunday, according to MCFRS Assistant Chief David Pazos.
Alan Rossi, with his dog, Phirst, as well as John Gilkey, with his dog, Piper, have arrived, Piringer stated.
They are Human Remains Detection canine teams.
Piringer stated on social media that “our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the devastating fires.”
The Maui Police Department reported 96 confirmed fatalities around 9 p.m. Sunday, per a release from Maui County.
MD-TF1 is Montgomery County’s Urban Search and Rescue Team. It responds as a FEMA task force, according to MCFRS.
Photo via MCFRS Assistant Chief David Pazos.
ICYMI @MontgomeryCoMD RT @DavidPazos15 @Fema activated two (2) @mcfrs MDTF-1 FEMA canine handler teams to Maui, HI. The K9 team(s) Alan Rossi with his dog Phirst and John Gilkey with his dog Piper, have arrived in Hawaii @DavidPazos15 @mcfrsPIO pic.twitter.com/CaKN6GkFgZ
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) August 14, 2023
Among other things, @fema requested, authorized & activated deployment of members to staff Incident Support Team (IST) in Maui County, Hawaii. ~35 Specialists from nearly 2 dozen US&R teams, incl MD Task Force 1, will support ongoing Search & Rescue operations for the wildfires. pic.twitter.com/LHsITQRZd9
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) August 11, 2023
@Fema activated two MCFRS FEMA canine handler teams to Maui today. Alan Rossi with his dog Phirst and John Gilkey with his dog Piper, should arrive in Hawaii later today. @DavidPazos15 @mcfrsPIO pic.twitter.com/CffC8Hz3Df
— Pazos@mcfrsPIO (@DavidPazos15) August 13, 2023
The nation mourns with the Maui community & our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the devastating fires. @mcfrs is sponsoring agency of @FEMA Urban Search & Rescue MDTF-1 & we have sent 2 Human Remains Detection (HRD) canine teams from @MontgomeryCoMD to aid in recovery pic.twitter.com/LSQ2tKLnux
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) August 14, 2023
