LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Members of the Nevada Task Force 1 team are being honored for their work in Hawaii. The team was recognized by Clark County commissioners during a board meeting on Tuesday.
The team was created in the early 1990s and started out as a team that only did heavy rescue-type missions like responding to earthquakes.
"Over the last 30 or so years, we've expanded the mission," Clark County Fire Chief John C. Steinbeck said. "The mission has changed to simply do whatever the locals need. We've gotten orders to go to Maui, Mt. Charleston, Lincoln County. We've gone to so many places this year."
A five-person team was deployed on Aug. 10 while an additional team with 45 people was deployed the next day. The team spent two weeks in Maui and Lahaina helping with search and recovery efforts following deadly wildfires that killed over 100 people.
RELATED LINK: How Nevada Task Force 1 is helping those impacted by the Maui wildfires
"It was very difficult going to Maui. We're called urban search and rescue. This wasn't a rescue mission. It was a recovery mission, which is still vitally important. Families deserve closure," Steinbeck said. "This team did an amazing job. We checked on them and they were very effective in the most difficult situations."
It's a sentiment echoed by Frank Taylor, who was a task force leader on the ground in Maui.
"They worked very, very hard, very professional, very thorough," Taylor said. "We were the smallest team out there but accomplished the most. My job was easy. I told them what we needed. They found out how to do it and they did it. They gave families closure, which is important and that's what kept us going."
RELATED LINK: Nevada Task Force 1 teams return home after helping search and rescue efforts in Maui
According to Clark County program manager Kenyon Leavitt, the team is just one reason why Southern Nevada "shines" so bright.
"These guys and gals are top notch," Leavitt said. "They make Clark County, the City of Las Vegas, all the communities that we represent shine. You can be proud of these guys because when they go out the door, they make us look good."
