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Just three hours after the large 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti just before 2 p.m. PST, Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel are already mobilizing in case they are needed to fly out and offer aid. The 72-member team, made up of Urban Search and Rescue specialists, is referred to as California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2).
An advisory about the current action describes the team as such: "This unique technical rescue team responds with 55,000 pounds of prepackaged search and rescue tools and medical equipment to conduct around-the-clock search and rescue operations at domestic and international disasters, both natural and man-made."
"Right now it's just about mobilization," explained Inspector Steve Zermeno, who said the county received the request after 3 p.m. today. The group's help was requested by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and if given the green light, they will fly out to Haiti. Currently, the team is staging at the county's Urban Search & Rescue facility in Pacoima.
