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Dogs that can sniff out people trapped in rubble are part of what an urban search and rescue task force will bring to the region, backed by millions in state funding.
Those skills could be key in responding to catastrophic events such as the recent fatal explosion at Clairton Coke Works or a 2022 bridge collapse in Squirrel Hill.
“These situations do happen, and we need to be adequately prepared for them here, not always waiting six to 10 hours for a team from the other side of the state,” Pittsburgh Assistant Fire Chief Brian Kokkila said.
While officials did not suggest that an immediate response would have made a difference in rescuing people at either catastrophe, they are eager to bring more resources to similar disasters in the future.
Kokkila leads the state Urban Search and Rescue Strike Task Force 1 (PA-ST1).
The state Urban Search and Rescue Strike Task Force (PA-ST1) is in the process of becoming a Type 3 task force through the City of Pittsburgh after securing a $6 million state grant last year. The group provides assistance in structural collapse rescues.
PA-ST1, sponsored by the city’s Department of Public Safety, responds to Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Green, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Washington, and Westmoreland counties.
The, PA-ST1 responded to about 20 incidents since its inception. The state’s Emergency Management Agency oversees the group, which formed after the response to the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The Pennsylvania urban search and rescue system is composed of eight regional task forces throughout the state and only has one Federal Emergency Management Agency team based in Philadelphia.
A key difference between PA-ST1’s current status and the Type 3 status is the asset of live find dogs, which are trained to find people while they are still alive. Currently, they are mainly housed in Harrisburg, Kokkila said.
“We were brought in for the Clairton explosion for our search cameras and listening devices, but a request had to be made through PEMA for the dogs,” Kokkila said. “The resource was on the other side of the state…each minute is crucial.”
The explosion on August 11 at Clairton Coke Works left two Westmoreland County men dead and injured 10 others.
PEMA Director Randy Padfield said he was in contact with local agencies on the day of the explosion and started to send live find dogs from State College and Gettysburg.
“When they had one person that was still missing and unaccounted for that they believed was trapped in the rubble, we started to move those resources,” Padfield said. “[Allegheny County Chief of Emergency Services Matt Brown] confirmed they found the individual, and our closest canine was 45 minutes out.”
The force has purchased two dogs from a recently birthed litter in the New England area, Kokkila said. They are waiting for the breeder’s approval for pick up to start training.
“It’s a lot of responsibility because we carry that dog from when they’re a puppy to the grave,” Kokkila said. “We've had to be very thorough and thoughtful about how we ensure that there's funding to support this, and how do we ensure that we can manage the legacy costs?”
The city is finalizing their grant agreement with the state, Kokkila said. Once approved, the force will have 18 months to acquire the higher accreditation.
PA-ST1 currently has 97 active personnel who respond when needed, with 60 rescue specialists and nine technical search specialists. Kokkila said he hopes to grow the force to 150 with the new accreditation.
“Some challenges are finding structure specialists… physician assistants are a challenge,” Kokkila said. “A lot of the required trainings are out of state, and spots fill up fast…people have to take vacation time.”
PEMA is determining how to sustain funding for the force outside of the initial grant, Padfield said
“We need to make sure that we have a sustainment mechanism because these teams aren't cheap,” he said. “A lot of times when we see an initial influx of funding, but then there may be no sustainment funding…Pittsburgh has a lot of older infrastructure. From the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, to recent events…the need is there.”
State Sen. Devlin Robinson (R., Allegheny)) supported funding for the higher accredited task force.
“We’re very sorry the Clairton Coke Works situation ended up the way that it did, but case in point, having the dogs here is crucial,” he said. “Cutting down hours of travel to minutes hopefully will change the outcome in future situations.”
Richard Policz, director of Greene County’s Emergency Management Agency, the task force provides various additional, more specialized training for emergency professionals in the county.
“They’ve been a very deep partner here in Greene County,” Policz said. “We had a mine training complex here. They actually came down and did a whole day of training, sadly a scenario of a massive collapse. And that was a big thing for all of us.”
While the group has not been called to an emergency in the county in his 15 years with the agency, having a more equipped task force closer is a “gem,” he said.
In Butler County, structural collapses are classified as “high risk, low volume” incidents, said Steve Bicehouse, the county’s emergency services director.
“They don’t happen often, but when they do, you need specialized expertise to deal with them,” Bicehouse said. “It is a good feeling for us to know that we have a well-trained urban search and rescue team in the area that would respond in a timely fashion.”
Lawrence County, too, could benefit from the task force’s enhanced capabilities, said Chad Strobel, the county director of emergency management. He is also chairman for the Region 13 Technical Rescue Committee, helping coordinate training for USAR members and assess emergency equipment throughout the region.
“We're divided out here in the West, and we’re kind of self-reliant, waiting for something to get here from Philadelphia or from Harrisburg,” Strobel said. “[The Type 3 force] is going to make access a lot better.”
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