By SDCN Editor
Carlsbad, CA–The city of Carlsbad Fire Department hosted a large-scale training for two of California’s Regional Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces on Wednesday at Legoland California theme park.
The Carlsbad Fire Department, in partnership with the San Marcos Fire Department and Cal Fire, received official designation as California Regional Task Force 13 last year. It is one of eleven in the state and is the only one of its kind in San Diego County.
RTF 13 is a 30-person Regional Task Force equipped to provide support to local, regional, tribal, and state agencies. The regional task force model is based on the principle of fast, light, and mobile response and is designed to provide support quickly and efficiently to complex incidents that require assistance beyond an initial alarm.
RTF 3, based out of Long Beach, also participated in the mobilization exercise. Task force members performed a variety of technical search and rescue operations during a mock earthquake scenario. Completion of mobilization exercises will soon become a Cal OES requirement for all RTFs to remain deployable.
The training began at 8 a.m. with both units being dispatched to Legoland to respond to a simulated earthquake. The theme park was closed to the public during the training exercises.
In addition to the 60 task force members, there were volunteers present serving as role players, proctors, and evaluators.
RTFs are specially trained and equipped for medium to complex urban search and rescue operations. Both task forces were evaluated on their response and operational capabilities during the technical search and rescue operations, which included rollercoaster rescues and a parking structure collapse.
The recent designation of RTF 13 significantly enhances response capabilities in San Diego County and the Southern California region. Regional Task Forces can operate independently, alongside other RTFs, and can also operate alongside state and FEMA US&R task forces.
Funding for the training exercise was provided by the California Office of Emergency Services and the California Specialized Training Institute.
