Six members of the Las Cruces Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team have left for the Houston area to assist where needed with their swift water rescue expertise.
Members include: Lieutenant Joe Leos, Lieutenant Tibor Kocsis, Battalion Chief Jeremiah Lay, Firefighter Arnold Diaz, Driver/Operator Jeremy Eckhart and Firefighter Michael Graham (show from left to right in attached photo).
The elite team left Las Cruces Monday evening and will be joining the Texas Task Force 2, an Urban Search and rescue team (in the event of natural and man-made disasters), who contacted the local Office of Emergency Management. The Las Cruces team expects to remain self-sustaining, bringing a trailer with swift water rescue gear, water and meals ready to eat.
Team members are certified in swift water rescue and have several hours of training including hands on training on the Salt River near Globe, Arizona last year and spring training this year at Caballo Lake near Truth or Consequences. These six LCFD members are among several Las Cruces firefighters who volunteered to deploy. It is not known how long these members will be deployed.