Maryland Task Force 1 (MD-TF1) and canine teams returned home Tuesday after aiding in wildfire rescue efforts in Maui.
Capt. Jason Light, a 17-year member of MD-TF1, said it “by far was one of our top missions mentally, physically and we went out and did it.”
During a county media briefing Wednesday, he said the deployment “ranks up there with the ones of Oklahoma City, 9/11 that our team responded to.”
“We all went in with an idea of what we thought the mission was going to be, but it was way, way more difficult, challenging than we originally thought.”
Team members conducted methodical searches, with an objective “literally to search every inch” of structures, streets, and cars.
Canines wore “booties” as the average ground temperature in the afternoon was upwards of 170 degrees, Light said. He said the canines were the “unsung heroes” of the whole operation. Team members rotated in and out of a bus due to heat.
According to Light, it goes beyond the immediate mission.
Members helped building owners — most of whom lost everything — look for things like artifacts and jewelry. He said members helped a building owner find two meteorites valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they helped a store owner find upwards of $2 million worth of jewelry.
“It’s not just about the mission that they were giving us, it’s just about helping the people of Maui out,” Light said.
Maryland Task Force 1 is mostly staffed by Montgomery County fire and rescue personnel, and is also supported by other jurisdictions like Prince George’s County, Howard County and Washington, D.C.
Two team members are still in Maui with equipment and expected to come home in the coming week, Light said.
