ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A group of highly trained Central Florida first responders have been training to be ready for the biggest disasters possible.
- Disaster team training for hurricane season
- 40-person team makes up Urban Search and Rescue team
The 40-person team of firefighters from all over Central Florida makes up the Urban Search and Rescue team.
Training instructor Michael Zielonka says this group stands out among first responders.
“This teams is a very specialized unit...so they do everything from Urban search and rescue, wide area search, confined space, some hazardous materials incidents, all the way up to what we did in Texas which is swift water,” Zielonka said.
On Friday, they team practiced with simulation destruction.
“So the drill today is a simulated bridge collapse…so searching for victims, searching through concrete rubble piles, cars, and everything,” Zielonka said.
These drills are designed to help keep their skills sharp and ready. However, if there’s anyone who knows how real disasters can be, it’s this group.
“These teams get activated yearly it seems now, in order to do these exact same things,” Zielonka said.
They’ve been on the ground in Texas after Hurricane Harvey, and in the Florida panhandle after Hurricane Michael swept through.
And when they show up they don’t put a strain on local resources.
“We’re a mobile city, we have tents, generators, water, showers, food, everything we need of ourselves so we can be self-sustaining for up to 72 hours minimum,” Zielonka said.
They don’t always know when or where disaster will strike, however, one thing Zielonka says is for sure, is they’ll be ready when it does.
“Task force 4 out of Central Florida is ready for any natural disaster, anything Mother Nature can put out or manmade can, we’re ready.”
This task force is made up of multiple agencies including Orange County, Orlando, Seminole County, as well as units from as far away as Lake County.