History of SELA TF-1

In May of 2004 the Orleans Parish Office of Homeland Security formed a steering committee made up of personnel from several different agencies and tasked it to research and develop an all hazards emergency response team for the Louisiana Region I area. The committee decided to form a task force along FEMA USAR lines with emphasis on structural collapse and water rescue. Committee members visited the FEMA website for guidelines on training and SOGs, traveled to Texas and New Mexico to gather information and ideas from experienced USAR teams, and contracted various training agencies from around the country. Minimum entry level standards were established, SOGs and an administrative organization were established, a recruiting drive was started, and a training program was projected for fiscal year 2005.
Personnel were sent to structural collapse technician training at LSU and TEEX, rope rescue and confined space training with LSU and the New Orleans Fire Department, Hazmat Technician training with the Louisiana State Police, and water rescue training with Mr. Jim Segerstrom. Equipment, and an enclosed trailer and prime mover were purchased from various suppliers and stored with the New Orleans Fire Department. A list of Task Force members was established and updated monthly. The steering committee felt that the Task Force could become operational in November of 2005.
In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina headed for the Louisiana coast and an ad hoc strike team of 10 Task Force members was deployed to the New Orleans Convention Center. Immediately after the hurricane, the strike team conducted a windshield survey and found that while many structures had collapsed in the area, fortunately no victims were trapped. Task Force members, many on their own initiative, assisted and established water rescue teams which conducted thousands of rescues. On September 10th, the Task Force stood down from emergency operations for Hurricane Katrina.
On October 9th 2005, the Task Force was reactivated to assist in recovery operations in the city of New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward. The Task Force operated in conjunction with many other in and out of state agencies, providing structural triage, technical and physical searches, and building ‘dissection’ when necessary. The Task Force recovered 47 human remains, standing down on the 12th of December 2005.
On the 2nd of March, the Task Force redeployed to the Lower Ninth Ward for 121 days, working with over a dozen different agencies to once again search for missing persons. The Task Force, in conjunction 32 different canine search teams, searched 2.177 houses and 54 additional points of interest over that time period, resulting in the recovery of 24 sets of remains. On the 30th of June, 2006 the Task Force stood down once again.
Since the second deployment, the Task Force has been occupied with education, training, reorganization and re-equipping. The Task Force was placed on stand-by for several events such as the Sugar Bowl and is looking forward to being a vital part of the region’s emergency response system.
On the thirteenth of February 2007 two tornadoes ripped through the residential area of the city of New Orleans causing extensive damage, several injuries, and one fatality. The Task Force was activated and established a command post, staging area, and BoO in an unaffected area of the city. Working from windshield surveys provided by the New Orleans Fire and Police Departments, the Task Force searched and cleared 104 addresses within the city. The Task Force requested mutual aid from the East Baton Rouge and LSU USAR teams, and in conjunction with these teams searched and cleared an additional 150 buildings in the tornado’s damage path before nightfall.

Mission Statement