MA-TF 1 Hosts the 2010 National US&R Working Group Meetings in Boston

The Massachusetts Task Force was pleased to host the 2010 National US&R Working Group meetings in Boston this week. The annual event allows representatives from each US&R discipline to work on improvements for the coming year.

FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino welcomed the group to Boston on Tuesday morning.

Some photos of the event are in the slideshow below.

National FEMA Canine Certification Trials

On May 15 and 16, 2010, MA-TF 1 hosted a National FEMA Canine Certification Trial. Approximately 27 rescue dogs and their handlers from around the country were tested for certification in Urban Search & Rescue.

The evaluation also marked the grand opening of the Aggregate Industries Dog Testing Center.

Aggregate Industries Northeast (AINE) is a crushed stone, asphalt and concrete manufacturer that has created a facility for MA-TF1 with specially designed rubble piles for search dog training and certification. To help maximize testing, AINE has built rubble piles for the US&R dogs with specially engineered void spaces throughout the piles for hiding “victims.”

During the evaluation, the canines must be able to quickly locate live human victims hidden below the rubble, without being distracted by heavy machinery and other rescue workers.

World Trade Center Memorial Steel

MA-TF 1 traveled to New York on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 to retrieve a piece of steel from the World Trade Center. The steel will be used in a memorial at the MA-TF 1 training facility in Beverly, MA.

One of the NY-TF 1 Task Force Leaders was kind enough to meet us at the facility and join us for the day.

The members were treated to a tour of artifacts from the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001. One of the most striking artifacts stored at the facility is a PATH train that was recovered from the wreckage. This specific PATH train was actually one of the first search missions MA-TF 1 conducted during its week-long response, and the train car still bears the MATF search markings.

The piece of steel is a section of the World Trade Center where the aircraft impacted the buildings. Known as “impact steel”, the piece MA-TF 1 was granted for its memorial measures approximately 21 feet long and 7 feet wide.

At the bottom of one piece of the steel was a dried flower, placed into a bolt hole as a memorial in 2001. The flower was in tact and will be preserved to be included as part of the memorial.

Photos of our trip are below.