Massachusetts Task Force 1

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.

March 2010 Flooding RNA Response

A massive storm brought record rainfall to New England in March, which resulted in record breaking high water marks and flooding. As part of the FEMA Response, a 20-person modular component of MA-TF 1 was activated to assist with Rapid Needs Assessment in the hardest hit parts of Rhode Island. MA-TF 1 worked with Rhode Island’s state Urban Search and Rescue Team RITF-1 and the US Coast Guard to assist in ground based and aerial assessments of damaged areas.

Below are some photos from the team’s response.

Vigilant Guard - Mobilization Exercise 2009

MA-TF 1 had the opportunity to participate in the Vigilant Guard exercise that took place the week of November 1, 2009 in Tonawanda, New York. A full complement of 80 MA-TF 1 team members responded to the mock 5.9 Earthquake incident as part of the Massachusetts Joint Task Force, which included the Mass. National Guard CERF-P and CST.

The training provided three rubble piles, including a simulated fully collapsed hospital with attached parking garage. Photos and a short video showing some highlights are below.