PHOTO COURTESY CA-TF3 After a long day during which hundreds of buildings were searched and three people were rescued by CA-TF3 and CA-TF4, members of CA-TF3's water-rescue team load an IRB into the back of a Chinook helicopter at the Chalmette Battlefield.

As we begin to move past the immediate tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, it's important that first responders who were involved with operations in Louisiana and Mississippi evaluate both their successes and their challenges, and share lessons learned. For example, one of the most important lessons we learned is that our nation's urban search and rescue (US&R) teams need greater focus on water-rescue training.

As the California Task Force 3 (CA-TF3) team leader, I was heavily involved in water-rescue operations in New Orleans, and I can honestly say that the sheer volume of water-based rescues and evacuations exceeded anyone's expectations for the "worst-case scenario." But while the success of individual agencies, or even the individuals who performed water rescues, is of interest, I would like to focus on the success of tactical units configured and typed specifically for water rescue in the hope that more agencies will build standardized rescue capabilities for a floodwater environment.

PHOTO COURTESY CA-TF3 An aerial perspective of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina shows how elevated freeways often became islands in a sea of flooding.

STANDARDIZED WATER RESCUE
Following Hurricane Katrina, the importance of the Department of Homeland Security's National Response Plan (NRP) and the government's move toward resource typing became abundantly clear. Although the standards portion of the NRP is not yet completed, the NRP typing of rescue resources should be of major interest to all of us in the response community because once completed, it will become the national model, or template, to which all other configurations must conform in order to receive grant funding or become "registered" responders for an out-of-area event.

In recent years, many response agencies have followed the military's lead in the development of highly trained, well equipped and specifically focused tactical units. However, of the 28 national US&R teams operating in conjunction with FEMA, only about 18 have water-rescue capability. For the most part, FEMA has not made water rescue a national capability for the US&R task forces because 1) there is no identified funding source; 2) some believe the primary responsibility rests with the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, through which a disaster-impacted state can request and receive assistance from other member states; and 3) there is little or no upper-level management support in FEMA and the DHS.
 
California is an exception to this, as all eight of the state's US&R teams sponsor and support a standardized water-rescue capability. After the 1996 floods in California, the state — under the oversight of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CAL-OES) — worked with the eight US&R teams and added water rescue to the growing all-risk mission profile for US&R. The state also began resource typing for all water-rescue resources under the Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies (FIRESCOPE) process, the state's template for typed response. Information on typing, capabilities, skills, training and equipment can be found on the Web at www.firescope.org/ics-usar/ICS-SF-SAR-020-1.pdf.

I believe the success of these teams can be directly attributed to the training of their personnel; most agencies had an annual swim test, with Swift Water 1 as minimum criteria for team participation. In addition, many had Swift Water 2, Inflatable River Boat (IRB) Operator, Power Water Craft (PWC) and Helicopter Aquatics training. Some team members were even lifeguards.

And while training is the key to the personnel, the standardization of equipment capabilities under the typing system plays a critical role in allowing all eight teams to operate in a similar fashion. They are essentially interchangeable and can work in groups, or singularly, anywhere in the theatre of operations.

With regard to CA-TF3 in particular, our 14-person water-rescue team is part of a larger group of team members who daily provide water-rescue capability for the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay. With an airboat, three IRBs, two PWCs and a 16' equipment trailer, the team has a significant local capability and has been involved in two other floods, as well as countless rescues on the Bay.

Over the past 15 years, our program has evolved from a single craft and a handful of people to one with multiple crafts of different capabilities and a formalized group of team members that comprise about 25 percent of the total number of line personnel. Although participation is voluntary, these individuals are expected to participate in regular training and an annual full-scale exercise each year.
On Aug. 29, FEMA requested water-rescue assets from all eight California water-rescue teams. Many of us believed the situation in New Orleans offered us an opportunity to challenge the government's approach to water-rescue capability and, in essence, prove the utility of our tactical water-rescue units.

After being transported by military aircraft to the disaster zone in New Orleans on Aug. 30-the second day of flooding-the eight California US&R Task Force Type 1 Swift Water Flood Rescue Teams, each comprised of 14 personnel and a minimum of two IRBs, began operations to rescue hundreds of victims.

But the true test of our tactical capabilities in New Orleans came on Sept. 5, when we were assigned to Special Operations and allowed access to air assets, specifically helicopters. I believe that many of our missions proved the point we've been trying to make for years: Type 1 water-rescue teams are more than just boat crews-they can be fast, light and mobile.

Our tactical benefits were beyond the hasty hailing searches, or the more time-consuming primary area searches; we could provide point searches with surgical precision and get in and out of specific locations in minutes, but only if we coupled these units with air-transportation assets to give us the flexibility of movement anywhere in the flood zone. Thus, the key would be putting together rapid horizontal water-rescue capability with vertical air mobility. This had the advantage of pairing a broad aerial perspective with valuable 911 caller information that was both accurate and fresh.

The Menlo Park (Calif.) Fire District water-rescue team (CA-TF3).

UNIQUE PROBLEMS & UNIQUE SOLUTIONS
Working in conjunction with the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) and under the direction of the Blue FEMA US&R Incident Support Team (IST), we were assigned as Special Operations for the entire city.

Flying in a small, five-seat Bell 206 helicopter, the crew — which included our pilot, George, NOFD Capt. Richard Smith and myself — flew aerial recon missions over New Orleans. Although we cleared many of the locations called in through the 911 system, one home in particular was not cleared and would require a very unique approach based upon its location.

With Capt. Smith's help, we located the home on Cartwright Street, a single-story residential structure with water reaching above the windows, and landed on high ground next to a canal bridge a block away from the home. The 911 report indicated that an elderly female was trapped in the building.

Unique problems require unique solutions, so I requested that a three-person crew from our team, with one IRB (with a removable motor) that could be rolled up and transported in a bag, be airlifted to our location for a point search. Capt. Jeff Schreiber led this group. As the Black Hawk helicopter set down on the canal bridge at our makeshift landing zone (LZ) surrounded by water, Captain Schreiber's three-person boat crew hustled to assemble the IRB.

Eight minutes later, the crewmembers were in the water and heading to the home. At 19 minutes, they were forcing entry and searching the home, and at 25 minutes, they had cleared the home. Not finding someone there was an obvious let down, but I believe we had proven a point by clearing a difficult 911 call location within 25 minutes.

PRIORITIZING & TRADING RESOURCES
On Sept. 5, after a reported building explosion and fire that turned out to be nothing, our first real mission of the day was to check Lindy Boggs Medical Center for a missing NOFD firefighter. I held my breath as George landed on the roof of the multi-story hospital surrounded by water. We were unable to locate the firefighter but could at least report to NOFD Command that the firefighter was no longer at the hospital. We later learned that all 600 NOFD members had been accounted for that evening.

That night, I asked Capt. Smith to drill down the 911 caller information. We needed fresh information that had come in within the last 24 hours — not three days — and we needed to group our point searches so we weren't jumping all around town burning valuable time and fuel.

I asked Capt. Schreiber to borrow or trade with the other California teams for their smaller, collapsible IRBs. (We gave them our non-collapsible boats.) Only one of our three boats could be configured for helicopter transport. If we were going to expand our capability, for the scope of our mission, we would need more packable boats to put more people in the water.

Also that night, I finally met with Rick Helton, the military air liaison, to schedule air frames for the next day. He wanted nothing more than to see the US&R teams use more air assets, and I wanted nothing more than to help him make that happen.

HIGH-PRIORITY TARGETS
The next morning, I met with Capt. Smith, who had worked most of the night to organize the 911 caller information. He told me, "I think you're going to be happy, Chief; we have fresh information."

Capt. Mike Shaffer, my assistant task-force leader, had equally good information: "We have three collapsible boats packed and ready to go. California 4 needed one of our trucks and two drivers for another operation, but they will give us two of their guys in trade." Additionally, Helton had secured two Bell 206 helicopters for us that morning and could back that up with either military Black Hawks or Chinooks to move our team anywhere we needed them.

Before we left, Paul Bailey, the IST operations chief, pulled me aside and told me, "We have a high-priority target for you," and introduced me to Deputy Scott Dennis of the Saint Bernard Sheriff's Office. Deputy Dennis advised me that we needed to extract an elderly couple in the Bio Saint John area. The couple was threatening to shoot anyone they didn't know who approached their home.

Capt. Smith and I met the helicopters as they landed. He told me that we'd be headed to Interstate 10 and the Read overpass where there were at least a dozen priority targets within easy reach of the overpass. Most were multi-story buildings used as either apartments or elderly care facilities. Deputy Dennis and Capt. Smith loaded into the back of one Bell 206, and I greeted George, our pilot, as I jumped in the front next to him. J.P. Troy from CA-TF4 would follow us in a second Bell 206.

The I-10 overpass over Read Boulevard was an island in a sea of water consuming the commercial retail and multi-story residential buildings in this area. After landing, we reviewed the search plan and left J.P. on the overpass to establish the LZ and call in the rest of the team while we flew on to the next priority target.

As we landed at the New Orleans Fairgrounds and Race Track parking lot, we found two people (with six cats in carriers) who wanted out. I left Capt. Smith to deal with the emotionally distraught couple who were clearly at the end of their rope, while Deputy Dennis and I made our way through shallow water to our priority target on North White Street.

As Deputy Dennis approached the door and called out the couple's names, I hid behind a car in the street, hoping the couple's promise to shoot anyone who approached their home was more bravado than reality. Many things go through your mind at a moment like that, including the fact that the deputy was the only one of us with a gun, I was in a completely unfamiliar city and neighborhood, and should we need backup, it would take a long time to get there.

Fortunately, after only a few minutes, the couple emerged without incident. After some initial introductions, they advised us they would leave but just needed a few minutes to pack some belongings. While the deputy stayed with the couple, I explored the surrounding streets and broke the eerie silence by yelling out, "Fire Rescue-anyone here?" After doing this for a few blocks, I found several people who wanted to shelter in place, so I noted their addresses. On the way back, I acquired a small, one-person kayak lying on some high ground.

When I returned to the home, the couple was ready, so I used the kayak to ferry them and their belongings over several shallow water crossings, one at a time. One of the two evacuees, Carolyn, advised me that it was her birthday. She was 65.

As we arrived back at the fairgrounds, I was disappointed to discover that our military helicopter shuttle had already left with the other couple and their cats, and the next available helicopter would take a while to arrive. Looking at Carolyn, stranded in this sea of devastation on her birthday, I loaded her into our recon helicopter and wished her a happy birthday. "Nobody should have to wait for a ride on their birthday," I told her. She thanked us repeatedly.

A Chinook helicopter lands at the LZ at the I-10 and Read overpass location.

A MOMENT'S REST 
Capt. Smith and I stayed behind at the fairgrounds while the couple and Deputy Dennis were shuttled back to our base. Based on radio traffic from our other group at I-10 and Read, I knew they needed more spray paint for marking doors after completing floor-to-floor building searches, as well as more water for the evacuees they were finding. I asked George to re-supply them with paint and water prior to picking us up.

After the helicopter left, Capt. Smith and I picked through a case of MREs. We ate lunch and talked about life. Rich's house was under water, but his family was in Baton Rouge and safe. He was a veteran of the NOFD and planned to retire within the next year.

We waited longer than I would have liked when a Black Hawk appeared at the LZ. As it landed, a security detail and several cameramen emerged and fanned out. There was also a familiar-looking man whom I couldn't place. We approached them, and I asked if they had a flight medic to re-bandage my finger that was now bleeding. I had injured my finger a few days earlier while breaking a window to secure a command post (CP) location, only to be reminded by the firefighters working with me why chiefs should not do this type of work themselves.

As the flight medic bandaged my finger, he asked if I wanted to meet Ted Koppel. I instantly recognized the news anchor as we met, and I asked him, "Ted, do you mind if I borrow your helicopter to get back to my CP about five miles downrange from here? I promise to send it right back to you." What could he say, as I pathetically stood bleeding in front of him? It was later reported back in camp that I had stolen Koppel's helicopter, a rumor I would never acknowledge, nor deny.

A military helicopter directed in by CA-TF3 performs a short-haul cable rescue of two people trapped on top of a collapsed structure.

MAKING PROGRESS
As we came into the I-10 and Read LZ, I could see that our folks had been busy; a small group of civilians now stood on the overpass, having been evacuated from the surrounding multi-story buildings.

As the Black Hawk pulled out of the LZ to return to Koppel and his crew, George appeared in the Bell 206. Capt. Shaffer and J.P. advised me they had completed almost 80 percent of the building searches and rescued more than a dozen people. Unique to that group was an elderly gentleman named Mr. Butler who would not leave his apartment until he put on his best suit, shoes and hat, and packed a suitcase. He truly epitomized a Southern gentleman.

My chest harness radio came to life as Mike Brown, the IST branch director, requested we meet him for a priority mission further down on the I-10 near the central business district. Not wanting to waste an air trip, we helped Mr. Butler into the back of the helicopter and made the short trip within several minutes.

PHOTO COURTESY CA-TF3 From Left to Right: Capt. Mike Shaffer, Capt. Richard Smith, Mr. Butler (an evacuee), Mike Grady, J.P. Troy and CA-TF3 Task Force Leader Harold Schapelhouman.

Brown and I had last worked together to find the Columbia Space Shuttle astronauts in 2003. As Capt. Smith escorted Mr. Butler to an evacuation staging area, I met with Brown. He explained that two people trapped on top of a two-story grocery store had been in touch with him by cellular phone.

After determining the GPS coordinates, George flew to the area, and we scanned roof tops for the two victims. George landed the helicopter in a dry school yard near the location. After wading through waist-deep water for several blocks, firefighter Mike Grady and I heard people crying out "up here" and found the pair on top of a partially collapsed grocery store.

Because of a tree canopy blocking the roof, I called in a military helicopter to perform a short-haul cable rescue. Fifteen minutes later, we were directing a Black Hawk to the appropriate building. They spotted the victims and were able to pull them into the helicopter.

As we returned back to our island overpass, I said goodbye to George, who needed to get back to his base in Baton Rouge prior to nightfall. Capt. Shaffer advised me that we had found a total of 23 people still living in multi-story buildings in the priority targets surrounding the I-10 and Read overpass, and that our crews had forced entry and searched every unit from the top to the bottom of each building. It was an impressive accomplishment. We then loaded our equipment and the last victim (a woman in a wheelchair) into an arriving Chinook and left the area.

PUTTING ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER 
In subsequent days, all eight of the California teams started working with military helicopters, thus exploring the various benefits and load configurations of working with aerial units, namely the greater flexibility, versatility and tactical capability. Another benefit was the ability to keep the boats inflated during transport in the larger air frames.

As our initial days turned into weeks, our accomplishments would be tempered by the price we all paid in terms of personal discomfort and injuries. As the number of rescues started to drop, our ability to just survive the conditions became a primary goal, and challenge, for the group.

Of course, we managed to endure the conditions, all while making a valuable point about water-rescue capability. Specifically, our water-rescue capabilities allowed us to perform at a higher level of efficiency and safety, and I strongly believe the standardization of such capabilities will contribute to greater interoperability and a higher level of local and national effectiveness.

PHOTO COURTESY CA-TF3 Leaving the are in a Chinook helicopter, CA-TF3 transports a wheelchair-bound woman whom the team rescued on the I-10 and Read overpass.

Harold Schapelhouman is a 25-year veteran firefighter with the Menlo Park (Calif.) Fire Protection District. He is currently assigned to Fire Station 1, as the division chief in charge of special operations, which includes all district specialized preparedness efforts, the local and state water-rescue program, as well as the local, state and national Urban Search and Rescue program (US&R). Schapelhouman is also the Task Force Leader in charge of CA-TF3. He chairs the California FIRESCOPE US&R Working Group, as well as the State's US&R Training Working Group. He serves as a Technical US&R Specialist in the Federal US&R Incident Response System on the Blue Team.