LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Members of Nevada Task Force 1 will be able to sleep in their own beds for the first time in two weeks after helping with search and recovery efforts in Maui. That's following wildfires that broke out on the island. Those fires have killed at least 115 people.
Nevada Task Force 1 deployed a five-person team on Aug. 10 and an additional team with 45 people on Aug. 11. Michael Porter was one of the task force leaders on this mission. He described what he and his K-9 Dexter saw on the front lines.
"We pushed out into the field immediately and started our search strategy and spent our time there search the burn area. All the team was out in the field and systematically took sections, as defined by our leadership there, and searched the area," Porter said. "The burn area was sometimes overwhelming. It took a few days to understand the magnitude of the situation."
Porter said Dexter is a human remains detection dog and he worked with another K-9 team as they worked through difficult conditions.
"My partner Sue and her dog Corey were there. We teamed up every day and we took turns. Because of the heat, the terrain, and the burn area, we were constantly trading off and working 20 minutes each. The team was our safeties. They would move stuff that needed to be moved."
RELATED LINK: How Nevada Task Force 1 is helping those impacted by the Maui wildfires
He added this wasn't the first time they've deployed to conditions like this.
"We train for the dogs to do their job in multiple situations," Porter said. "We were at the Oregon wildfires in 2019. We were at Hurricane Ian when we pushed out with Nevada Task Force 1 with both of those missions so they were prepared."
Frank Taylor was another task force leader. He said the dogs "performed amazingly well".
"I believe we took it down from 1,000 missing [people] to 388," Taylor said. "These guys were tearing it up. We were the smallest team out there but we did the most."
RELATED LINK: Officials release identities of 388 missing people after Maui wildfire
Taylor added that the whole team focused on what they needed to do and tried not to let emotions get between them and their goals.
"We're out there to do a job. I was asked a question out there about how do you do this and how you not get emotional. I said you can't really afford that luxury," Taylor said. "Maybe when we get home, it will be a different story but we had a job to do and we did it well. Everyone's just tired. It was a long two weeks. But these guys, [like Dexter], here's out emotional support. All you have to do is be near a dog and start scratching its head. It just makes you feel better."
RELATED LINK: Lost Island: The Maui Wildfires
Taylor and Porter both said that despite the devastation, they also saw strength, love, and hope.
"Those people are tremendous," Taylor said. "One of ladies there was elderly, had lost her home, and had head burns. She was staying where we were so we gave her access to our doctor. She took care of us and put coffee out in the morning. Everybody was thanking us right and left. They're amazingly strong people and they just embraced us. They were looked out for us as much as we were looking out for them."
"The people of Maui are amazing. They're survivors. They were coming to us after they've lost everything and wondering what we need and what they could do to help us," Porter said. "Maui has a connection to everybody. Everyone's vacationed there or gotten married there. Everyone wants to come up and tell you about that connection and that's because of the people of Maui. It's because of their strong family connection."
Welcome back to the 50 first responders & 4 K9s with #NevadaTaskForce1 who just arrived in the Las #Vegas Valley after helping with search&recovery efforts in the aftermath of the #MauiWildfires. @CCFD is the sponsoring agency for NVTF-1. They were deployed by FEMA 2weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/rFWd2sowW7
— Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) August 26, 2023
The team may be home and getting a mandatory rest period but the work continues both in Maui and here at home. Other members of the Nevada Task Force 1 team are helping residents on Mt. Charleston recover from Tropical Storm Hilary.
"We were the first team over there, [Maui], but there's other teams over there still. Just because we have come home doesn't mean the work has stopped," Porter said. "Those teams will continue to work until the local jurisdiction says they're comfortable with the information they have and the information that's been covered. It's been an incredible honor to be called to go over there and help in that situation."
RELATED LINK: How Las Vegas residents can help those impacted by devastating wildfires in Maui
At the end of the day, Taylor said they know they made a difference in people's lives through their work and that's what matters the most.
"What gave us focus is we need to let these families have some peace so you work to find their loved ones. That's what kept us going every day," Taylor said. "These guys went out and they did their job. They did it very well and gave a lot of people some peace."
