IAFF Members on USAR Teams Deployed to Haiti

Los Angeles County USAR Team prepares to leave for Haiti

Updated January 26, 2010 – Union Plus is matching donations dollar-for-dollar for Haiti earthquake relief with a $100,000 commitment. IAFF members can click here to maximize the power of their contributions. Union Plus will automatically double contributions made to the Solidarity Center’s Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers Fund. That means $10 becomes $20, $25 becomes $50, and $100 becomes $200.


IAFF members can help by including this information in their local newsletters or web sites. 

Union Plus has committed $100,000 through this dollar-for-dollar donation match to help Haitian earthquake relief efforts.

 

January 22, 2010 -- The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is seeking French/Creole-speaking first responders to assist in disaster relief efforts in Haiti, if needed. Click here for more information.

In the aftermath of the worst earthquake to hit Haiti in more than 200 years, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Teams comprised of IAFF members from across North Anerica are being deployed to the disaster zone to perform rescue operations, provide medical care and other needed emergency services. Read more...

USAR Response System Task Forces (U.S.)

Message from General President Harold Schaitberger: USAR Teams Continue Live-Saving Efforts

January 22, 2010 -- I know many of you have seen footage of the latest life-saving efforts of our Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams deployed in Haiti. It has been incredibly gratifying to witness their awe-inspiring work as they race against the clock in the face of enormous danger and adversity to save so many people who remain trapped in the rubble of the January 12 earthquake. I am proud to say that as of early today, our members have been credited with rescuing at least 43 people. Read more...

DO NOT SELF DEPLOY

The IAFF reminds its members that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has asked that the emergency response community NOT self deploy to affected disaster areas. Only those tasked by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) should deploy. The most urgent need at this time is supporting ongoing disaster relief fundraising efforts.

For additional information on how you can assist during this disaster, contact Ron McGraw at (202) 824-8635 or email rmcgraw@iaff.org.

Union Firefighters Rescue Survivors in Haiti

January 22, 2010 - Within hours of last week's devastating earthquake in Haiti, the U.S. International Development Agency (USAID) reached out to highly skilled teams of union fire fighters to help rescue survivors. Read more...

Rescue teams mobilized, watch Haiti turmoil from U.S. (CNN News)

January 19, 2010 - Four of the 10 American rescue teams mobilized in the hours following the earthquake in Haiti are returning home -- having never traveled farther than their local airports. Federal government officials said the four -- including teams in Texas, Ohio and two in California -- were not flown there because Haiti could not "absorb" them and because they were being held as relief for crews that made it into the country. Disaster experts said a bottleneck at the main airport in Port-au-Prince could have prevented the crews from entering Haiti quickly, but they scoffed at the suggestion that the teams, skilled in locating and freeing people entombed in collapsed buildings, should be held in reserve. Read more...


January 19, 2010 - Los Angeles County Haiti Rescue (YouTube)

Fairfax Fire Fighters Rescue Security Guard From Collapsed UN Building

January 14, 2010 - The Fairfax County, VA Fire & Rescue Department Urban Search and Rescue team has made at least one rescue. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has also activated a second 42-member team to assist the first team of 72. Read more...

The earthquake - with a magnitude of 7.0 - struck southern Haiti (about 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince) at 4:53 p.m. local time, on Tuesday, January 12. The initial quake was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks measuring 5.9 and 5.6 in magnitude. The Red Cross estimates that as many as three million people have been affected by the quake, while the death toll could be in the hundreds of thousands.

The level of destruction is compounded by the fact that Haiti has experienced years of political instability and no real construction standards have been formulated. When a school collapsed in November 2008, the Port-au-Prince mayor estimated that approximately 60 percent of the city’s buildings were poorly constructed and not safe under normal circumstances.