MISSION:

To respond to natural and man-made disasters; to provide search and rescue, medical support, communications, and damage assessment.

The Florida Task Force Four Urban Search and Rescue Team (FL-TF4) is available 24 hours a day for the State of Florida and other agencies.

PURPOSE:

Urban search-and-rescue (US&R) involves determining the location, implementing rescue (extrication), and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces. Structural collapse is most often the cause of victims being trapped, but victims may also be trapped in transportation accidents and collapsed trenches.

Urban search-and-rescue is considered a "multi-hazard" discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of emergencies or disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes, storms and tornadoes, floods, sink holes, trench cave in, confined space rescue, industrial accidents, transportation accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases. The events may be slow in developing, as in the case of hurricanes, or sudden, as in the case of tornadoes or aircraft disasters.