Local firefighter a part of state's elite urban search and rescue team

"I first started working with the task force right after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita," he said. "I remember the team clearing limbs, people's houses, checking shelters and making sure they had medical supplies."

One of the most vivid memories that Vanscoder shared was a time when he spent three or four nights on the island of Galveston after having pre-staged in San Antonio before Hurricane Ike. He said he had never seen what a city can look like after a hurricane hits, specifically describing houses flipped upside down, until he joined the task force. He said it was a surreal experience.

Vanscoder is the only Nacogdoches firefighter currently on the task force, but many in the department give additional time and effort of themselves. According to Nacogdoches Fire Chief Keith Kiplinger, that number is significant.

"More than half of the Nacogdoches Fire Department participates in something additional to their fire fighting duties. We are just so glad to have Travis who is able to gain this wonderful training from the government and then bring it back to us," Kiplinger said.

Vanscoder is a logistics specialist on TX-TF1, a job that requires him to know a lot about situations some may take for granted or perhaps have never had to think about before, such as how much gas it takes to run a chain saw for 14 days.

"The team is fully self-contained," Kiplinger said. "This means that they have to be prepared to provide everything they may need for at least 72 hours - this means food, water, showers and any supplies also."

Kiplinger went on to elaborate that Vanscoder has a position on the task force that requires him to always have to think ahead to prepare for any situation.

"So think of a chain saw - not only does he have to make sure that it has gas and that the gas is correctly packaged in order to be able to ship on an airplane; but he also has to pack additional chains for it in case one of them breaks," he said.

"Working with the Texas Task Force 1 has given me not only the benefit of the skills learned, but the added chance to see how people work together in our agencies as a state," Vanscoder said. "I'm thankful that my schedule happened to allow me to be able to take advantage of the opportunity."

The way to gain membership to the Task Force is to submit a written application and go through as series of interview processes where the number of applicants in consideration gradually slims down, just as it would in the normal employment-seeking process. Vanscoder learned of TX-TF1 while at the Fire Academy and became interested.

"Steven Wright, with the county ambulance service, worked as a paramedic at the time, and taught classes at the Fire Academy when I was there. He invited me to go to regional training with him. There, I met some of the guys and had just been looking for a way to get in ever since," he said.

The TX-TF1 was scheduled to deploy to Haiti, but did not. According to a press release, "the United Nations mission in Haiti declared that the search and rescue teams in the country are sufficient," on Jan. 18. The Texas team was placed on standby and was comprised of 80 people, four search canines, search and technical rescue personnel, physicians, paramedics, structural engineers, other support personnel and approximately 50 tons of rescue equipment and supplies.

"We have dogs trained to smell live bodies, but they are not trained to pick up on cadavers," Vanscoder said. He stated that the plane had been at the airport waiting for word that they could deploy and that they'd maintained their four-hour activation window for deployment at all times.

"I'm thankful and proud to be a task force member and glad that the city gives me the opportunity to respond when I can," Vancoder said. "It benefits me, and it benefits the city."

Source: Monica Gordon