SOUTH SALT LAKE — Utah Task Force One, the team that has responded to such disasters as the World Trade Center bombing and Hurricane Katrina, was preparing Tuesday for possible deployment to Haiti.
The task force, also known as the Urban Search and Rescue Team, was put on notice that their number will be called next if another USAR team from the U.S. is needed to go to Haiti.
There are three teams in the United States that are called first for international travel, said Unified Fire Authority Capt. Clint Smith. Because of the magnitude of the Haiti disaster, other USAR teams have also been activated based on their rotation number.
So far, 10 USAR teams from other states have been activated, said Smith, and the 70-member Utah team is next on the list.
"We are ready to go if the call comes," Smith said. "We've got the equipment. We're ready to go at a moment's notice."
Crew members have been going into headquarters this week to check their equipment and make sure all their supplies are ready to go.
Although Smith said Utah Task Force One was next in the rotation, some of the other teams that were activated earlier were demobilized before they got to Haiti. Smith was unsure Tuesday if those teams would be put back in the rotation ahead of Utah.
"Anything could change over the next day or two," he said. "By the end of the week we should have a clear idea of whether we will or won't go."
If Utah is deployed, the team would likely be sent to relieve a team already there, he said. Depending on the resources they take with them, each team is generally deployed for up to two weeks, Smith said.
If Utah Task Force One gets the call, they will drive their supplies to Hill Air Force Base and be flown into Haiti.
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