News for Brandon, Valrico, Bloomingdale, Seffner and Riverview
Twenty-five county rescue team members left Oct. 8 to join a 75-member regional task force.
From our October archiveOriginally dated
Published
On Thursday, Oct. 8, 25 Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) team members deployed to the Florida Panhandle. They belong to the HCFR Tactical Search and Rescue (TSAR) team.
The members went as part of Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force-3 (FL-TF-3). The task force has 75 emergency workers. They come from Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, and St. Petersburg.
The county said the team will assist communities that may be impacted by Hurricane Isaias.
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FL-TF-3 does complex rescue work before, during, and after severe storms. Members train to work in flooded neighborhoods and waterways. They also train for areas that fallen trees, power lines, and storm debris block.
Search and rescue dogs are part of the task force. The county calls them "live-find" dogs. They use their sense of smell to find people under rubble or inside collapsed structures. The dogs alert rescue crews when they detect human scent.
TSAR teams may deploy as strike teams when disasters strike outside Hillsborough County.
HCFR also has four SHERP vehicles for water rescue. These vehicles can drive through high water and difficult terrain. Crews used them after flooding from Hurricane Milton in 2024.
FDOT crews close US 301 lanes at night for repaving and Big Bend Road work through Thursday, October 22.
On Oct. 15, the county administrator extended the state of local emergency as crews increased mosquito treatments.
Archive ·
The Pet Resource Center waived all adoption fees at its Saturday, Oct. 17 Halloween event in Tampa.
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Nearby counties, cities, FDACS and the CDC sent crews, helicopters and staff to help Hillsborough control mosquitoes.
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