H.R. No. 427
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The citizens of Texas are extraordinarily fortunate
to have within the state an elite urban search and rescue (US&R)
organization, Texas Task Force One, which is prepared to assist in
times of disaster both at home and abroad; and
WHEREAS, One and a half years ago, Texas Task Force One was
among the groups that served heroically in the rescue and recovery
efforts at the site of the World Trade Center; the great heart and
expert proficiency exhibited by the Texas team in the face of that
horrific carnage earned them resounding praise, as well as the deep
gratitude of those for whom their efforts helped to bring a degree
of closure; in February 2003, another national tragedy, the breakup
of the shuttle Columbia, saw the task force mobilized again for the
task of recovering remains and debris; and
WHEREAS, Texas Task Force One was formed following the attack
on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995; in 1996 the
Texas Engineering Extension Service, the primary agency
responsible for coordinating US&R in Texas, established an Urban
Search and Rescue Advisory Board, and Texas Task Force One
assembled for its first organizational meeting in 1997; and
WHEREAS, The Texas unit and 27 other such task forces around
the country form part of a national response system that was created
in 1989 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); the
units, which must meet stringent training requirements, are
deployed by FEMA to assist in rescuing victims trapped in collapsed
buildings and mines, as well as to provide aid in other emergency
situations when the lives of a large number of people may be at
risk; and
WHEREAS, Each task force has a minimum of 62 members, all
volunteers, in order to be able to field two 31-person teams in
rotating, 12-hour shifts; rescue teams include such personnel as
structural engineers, trauma physicians, handlers for the group's
four rescue dogs, and specialists in heavy rigging, communications,
logistics, and hazardous materials; in addition, every member of
the group is a certified emergency medical technician; and
WHEREAS, The equipment cache maintained by each task force
enables it to set up a mobile emergency room, a camp, and a
communications center while also supporting the needs of the
engineers and construction personnel; moreover, each task force has
the means to be wholly self-sufficient for at least 72 hours; and
WHEREAS, Since its creation, Texas Task Force One has been
called out in the wake of such other disasters as the 1998 Del Rio
flood, 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse, 2000 Fort Worth tornado, 2001
Houston floods, and 2002 Central Texas floods and Hurricane Lili;
the unit was also sent to Salt Lake City in 2002 to help ensure the
safety of the Winter Olympics; and
WHEREAS, The highly skilled members of Texas Task Force One
undergo hundreds of hours of specialized training and make a
significant commitment to the unit in terms of time and
availability; in undertaking the arduous responsibilities of this
work, they also accept the great risks that it can entail; and
WHEREAS, Texas Task Force One deserves the profound gratitude
and respect of all Americans for its swift, sure, and courageous
response to large-scale disasters and for its continuing readiness
to meet the most challenging crises; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature hereby honor the members of Texas Task Force One for
their exceptional dedication to the saving of life and extend to all
associated with this unit the state's deep and abiding appreciation
for their valor, selflessness, and tenacity in times of extreme and
urgent need.
Delisi
Craddick
Giddings
Merritt
Allen
Goodman
Miller
Alonzo
Goolsby
Moreno of Harris
Bailey
Griggs
Moreno of El Paso
Baxter
Grusendorf
Morrison
Berman
Guillen
Mowery
Bohac
Gutierrez
Naishtat
Bonnen
Haggerty
Nixon
Branch
Hamilton
Noriega
Brown of Kaufman
Hamric
Oliveira
Brown of Brazos
Hardcastle
Olivo
Burnam
Harper-Brown
Paxton
Callegari
Hartnett
Pena
Campbell
Heflin
Phillips
Canales
Hegar
Pickett
Capelo
Hilderbran
Pitts
Casteel
Hill
Puente
Castro
Hochberg
Quintanilla
Chavez
Hodge
Rangel
Chisum
Homer
Raymond
Christian
Hope
Reyna
Coleman
Hopson
Riddle
Cook of Navarro
Howard
Ritter
Cook of Colorado
Hughes
Rodriguez
Corte
Hunter
Rose
Crabb
Hupp
Seaman
Crownover
Isett
Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Harris
Jones of Lubbock
Smith of Harris
Davis of Dallas
Jones of Bexar
Smithee
Dawson
Jones of Dallas
Solis
Delisi
Keel
Solomons
Denny
Keffer of Dallas
Stick
Deshotel
Keffer of Eastland
Swinford
Driver
King
Talton
Dukes
Kolkhorst
Taylor
Dunnam
Krusee
Telford
Dutton
Kuempel
Thompson
Edwards
Laney
Truitt
Eiland
Laubenberg
Turner
Eissler
Lewis
Uresti
Elkins
Luna
Van Arsdale
Ellis
Mabry
Villarreal
Farabee
Madden
West
Farrar
Marchant
Wilson
Flores
Martinez Fischer
Wise
Flynn
McCall
Wohlgemuth
Gallego
McClendon
Wolens
Garza
McReynolds
Wong
Gattis
Menendez
Woolley
Geren
Mercer
Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 427 was adopted by the House on March
11, 2003, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House