Point Reyes Light - November 4, 2004
Marin's taskforce on hand to battle disasters
By Jim Kravets
State officials from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services report that while disaster planning for West Marin is in many ways a unique challenge, its residents should be well-served by the Marin County Urban Search and Rescue Team, the first regional taskforce to be certified by the state’s disaster planners.
West Marin, with its sparse population spread over long distances as well as the presence of reservoir dams, earthquake faults, and bays and streams which are prone to flooding, is served by the a multi-disciplined search and rescue taskforce, formally recognized in a ceremony last week in San Rafael.
Henry Renteria, director of the state OES which certified the taskforce, said at the ceremony:
"I commend the actions of Marin County for assembling this multi-disciplined rescue team that will be a valuable asset to OES in its mission to support our state’s cities and counties during disasters."
Although the taskforce can be mobilized to respond to disasters anywhere in California, its primary mission is to respond to disasters within the regional Bay Area.
Marin County is ‘first priority’
"But our first priority is Marin County," said Battalion Chief Ed Mestre of Marin County Fire Department, who as taskforce leader, oversees the taskforce’s day to day operations. Marin County Public Works Director Farhad Mansourian and county Fire Chief Ken Massucco have been designated taskforce commanders.
nd rigging technicians, Sheriff’ The 80-member taskforce consists of a medical doctor, structural engineers, specialists in hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction, paramedics, mobile intensive-care nurses, specially trained firefighters, public works specialists, search and rescue canines, heavy equipment and rigging technicians, and other specialists.
Nearly 20 agencies including Marin County Fire Department, Public Works Department, the Sheriff’s Department, Inverness Volunteer Fire Department, the National Park Service, and private companies like Cooper Crane and Rigging of Novato contribute manpower and resources to the taskforce, making it a public-private, interagency, partnership.
Taskforce a response to ‘89 quake
The idea for a Marin Urban Search and Rescue team arose fifteen years ago, following the disastrous 7.1 magnitude Loma-Prieta Earthquake which devastated much of the Bay Area. In the wake of its destruction, county agencies learned that they were largely unprepared for large-scale disasters. Looking locally, county disaster planners realized to their alarm, that Marin County could not rely on outside assistance in the case of another widespread cataclysm natural or otherwise.
"[The county’s] geographical isolation makes us vulnerable," Mestre told The Light. With its sparse population, Bay Area rescue crews might be more focused on rescue efforts in more densely populated areas.
"[Marin County] would not get any help," Mestre said, "so we took the other approach and trained people in-county to be self-sufficient."
By 1995, Marin had its first "basic" Urban Search and Rescue team assembled. "Basic," Mestre explained, refers to the first of four levels of rescue capability, which he described as the equipment you would expect to find on a firetruck.
WMD grants fund taskforce
As more funds became available from state and federal government, including "Weapons of Mass Destruction Grants" from the US Justice Department, the team built up its taskforce from a "light" designation, through "medium," and "heavy," before reaching its current designation as a full-blown "regional taskforce."
Numbering 80 strong and commanding more than $500,000 in rescue equipment, it has been a hard slog. Recently acquired equipment such as fiber-optic cameras capable of 360-degree swivels through small openings, infrared night vision goggles, and two cranes donated by PG&E, has increased the taskforce’s level of sophistication.
In past years the team has proven its worth, playing an integral role averting and responding to local emergencies. In 1998, the taskforce successfully battled rising flood waters that inundated PG&E’s Ignacio substation which funnels Marin County’s power.
Several years back, when a huge construction crane slipped off its tracks dangling perilously above Tiburon’s Corinthian Yacht Club, taskforce members were the ones to react in time to stabilize it.
Mestre said that the taskforce is trained in anti-terrorism and hazardous-materials work, and would be the ones charged with decontamination and treatment of citizens in the event of contamination from biological agents.
West Marin: a special challenge
West Marin, with its extensive bays and reservoirs, present the team with special challenges, Mestre noted.
"We train for water rescues and mudslides. And if an earthquake hits the San Andreas Fault," he added, "we’re trained to deal with damaged structures built with unreinforced masonry, concrete and steel."
The county’s gain is the state’s gain, Mestre said, adding that, "By raising the bar, other jurisdictions will follow our lead, and California as a whole is better prepared."
Supervisor Steve Kinsey acknowledged the vital role the taskforce plays in the safety of the county and even the state as a whole.
"Having Marin’s Urban Search and Rescue team be the first state-certified and activated Regional Response Taskforce is an enormous testament to Marin’s capability to respond to a disaster," he said in a statement, noting that certification by the state demonstrates how seriously Sacramento regards regional search and rescue teams in the event of disasters.