TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As Hurricane Ida pushes towards the Gulf Coast this weekend, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis announced the deployment of Florida Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Task Force teams to assist with storm recovery. Currently, two federal US&R teams, including Miami-Dade County Task Force 1 (FL-1) & City of Miami Task Force 2 (FL-2) have been deployed to stage in Alabama ahead of the storm. Additional Florida US&R Task Forces are prepared to assist in Florida, and out-of-state if necessary. According to the National Hurricane Center, Ida is expected to be a major hurricane, producing heavy rainfall, wind, storm surge and flooding.

CFO & State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said, “With Hurricane Ida projected to bring devastating rainfall, storm surge and flooding along the Gulf Coast as early as tomorrow, two Florida US&R Task Forces have been deployed to assist with recovery efforts immediately. These are the same heroes that worked tirelessly on search and rescue operations during the tragic condo collapse in Surfside and now they stand ready to assist Gulf Coast states with storm recovery. These highly trained fire service personnel are the tip-of-the-spear when it comes to disaster recovery and I cannot thank them enough for their service in times of crisis. Additionally, as we continue to track this storm, task forces are prepared to assist in Florida if landfall projections shift.”

CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis oversees Florida’s Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Teams, which are deployed to aid communities that have been impacted by a natural or man-made disaster.

Florida Urban Search & Rescue Task Force Capabilities:
• Physical search and rescue operations in damaged/collapsed structures.
• Emergency medical care for entrapped survivors, task force personnel and search canines.
• Reconnaissance to assess damage and needs, and provide feedback to local, state, tribal, territorial and federal officials.
• Assessment/shut-off of utilities to houses and other buildings.
• Hazardous materials surveys/evaluations.
• Structural/hazard evaluations of buildings needed for immediate occupancy to support disaster relief operations.
• Stabilizing damaged structures, including shoring and cribbing operations on damaged buildings.
• Hazardous Materials Equipment Push Packages for operations in a contaminated environment.
• Search and rescue operations in a water environment.

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About CFO Jimmy Patronis 
Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida’s Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and X (@FLDFS).