TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Tallahassee's specialized search and rescue team being sent to South Florida on Sunday to help with the Surfside condo collapse.
"The problem with an operation like this is obviously you don't want to stop your rescue type operations and take a nap or something, so they keep people in their 24 hours a day 7 days a week," said Captain Kurt Hindle who is heading the team.
The Fire Department's Florida Task Force Seven sending 27 members who will be working around-the-clock for at least a week.
"Those members have been doing it for several days now and they need relief. And since we're obviously trained in those same disciplines that's what we're doing," said Captain Hindle. "We're kind of back-filling the operation."
Florida Task Force Seven will be there working side-by-side with 370 others from across the state. State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said their one common goal, hopefully find survivors who have been trapped in the rubble since Thursday.
"This is the greatest effort ever put on by Florida non-hurricane. It's raw," said Patronis. "You're not supposed to experience trauma this way."
The team is now getting started on what is expected to be a grueling and exhausting mission that could take longer than seven days.
"It should give you the confidence that there is a system in place and that there is a plan," said Captain Hindle.
