Two Bay Area Fire Officials Head To Florida To Help With Building Collapse Rescue Efforts
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Two Oakland-based fire officials headed off to Florida Monday to help in the rescue efforts surrounding the collapse of a 13-story condominium last week.
The Oakland Fire Department sent Battalion Chief Chris Landry and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Peter, both members of the Oakland Fire Department's FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, to help authorities locate the over 150 residents still missing in the rubble.
"The Oakland Fire Department sends its sincere condolences to the surviving victims and family members of those impacted by this tragedy," said Oakland Fire Dept. Chief Reginald Freeman. "We are proud to offer our ongoing support to this national effort in any way that is needed. Our thoughts are also with all of the rescuers working tirelessly on scene and look forward to their safe return."
As of Monday, 10 tenants were dead and 151 tenants were still missing after the building collapsed Thursday night, authorities said.
According to Oakland Fire, its California Task Force Four is one of 28 Federal Urban Search and Rescue Teams. FEMA teams organize existing search and rescue capability into a national program that can quickly deploy to an event. They have additional training, and must be able to deploy within four hours and to sustain themselves for 72 hours.
