85R11158 JGH-D
By: Kacal H.R. No. 703
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, In 2017, the Texas Task Force 1
urban-search-and-rescue team is celebrating 20 years of saving
lives in the Lone Star State and across the nation; and
WHEREAS, Texas Task Force 1 was established by the Texas
Legislature in 1997 to train firefighters, medical specialists,
dogs and their handlers, heavy equipment operators, structural
engineers, and other specialty first responders in the techniques
of search, rescue, and recovery, so that these skilled personnel
might deploy during times of natural or man-made disaster; and
WHEREAS, Headquartered in College Station, TX-TF1 is
sponsored by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service and
operates under the direction of the Texas Division of Emergency
Management; the task force coordinates the state's swift-water
rescue program and, in conjunction with Texas Military Forces, the
state's Helicopter Search and Rescue Team; and
WHEREAS, Over the past two decades, the unit has been
deployed by three governors to 87 disasters within the state, and
its members have removed, rescued, or recovered countless Texans
during such severe weather events as the 2015 Blanco River Flood and
the 2016 Dallas--Fort Worth Metroplex tornadoes; and
WHEREAS, In 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
designated this elite group as one of 28 national search-and-rescue
teams, and TX-TF1 has since played a vital role in the response to
42 disasters outside of the state, including Hurricanes Katrina,
Rita, and Ike and the attack on the World Trade Center in New York
City on September 11, 2001; and
WHEREAS, For 20 years, the skilled and intrepid men and women
of Texas Task Force 1 have swiftly answered the call to action and
delivered expert and compassionate assistance to people in their
hour of direst need, and they are truly deserving of special
recognition on this notable occasion; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 20th anniversary of Texas Task
Force 1 and extend to its members sincere gratitude for their
livesaving efforts and best wishes for continued success in their
important work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Texas Task Force 1 as an expression of high regard by
the Texas House of Representatives.