COLUMBIA – Missouri Task Force (MO-TF1) arrived back in Boone County Monday afternoon after spending a week in Florida helping with Hurricane Idalia recovery.
Members of the Boone County Fire Protection District and two employees from the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District are part of the MO-TF1 team.
“We had 15 squads out in the field checking residents of houses for damage and needed help,” MO-TF1 rescue specialist Randy Sanders said.
The task force spent a total of seven days in parts of Florida, including Pensacola, Lafayette County and Panama City. One day was dedicated to clean-up efforts, while the remaining six days were focused on conducting damage assessments for the community.
“We saw a lot of trees down, tons of trees down, a lot of wires down,” Sanders said. “Structures weren’t damaged as bad as we seen in the past, very fortunate enough for Florida. But they still need a lot of help, and there’s a lot of work to be down.”
MO-TF1 is always getting ready for natural disasters. Sanders said members hold training sessions every week and restock their bags right after coming back home.
“Constantly trained. Be ready at a moment’s notice,” Sanders said. “Within four hours of notification, we are ready to hit the road.”
Members returned home from Maui, Hawaii, wildfire recovery efforts last Sunday, Aug. 27. The next day, members were deployed to Florida.
“When we get the call, this is what we trained for our whole careers. When we get that call, we are excited to go,” Sanders said.
Even though they’ve had consecutive assignments in the past month, the task force expressed their willingness and joy in serving the community.
“It says it on our patch, a helping hand. And that’s what we are and that’s what we do,” BCFPD assistant chief Gale Blomenkamp said.
