Texas Task Force 1 Selection

Congratulations to Firefighter/Paramedic Frank Molinets who was recently selected to be a part of the Texas Task Force 1 Team. TTF1 responds to all kinds of disasters such as: hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and swift water rescues, terrorist incidents, search and rescue operations just to name a few.

Each person who is selected must meet high standards and excel in stringent training exercises at the Texas A&M Disaster training facility called “Disaster City”; to make sure they are up to the task. Molinets started the application process last year and made it through the first selection phase.  He passed six separate board interviews and assessments, a final review board and FEMA approval, to become one of the few to be selected to the elite Texas Task Force.

Molinet’s selection is quite an honor for him and Southlake Fire Services. “I’ve wanted   to be a part of this Special Task Force since I was at the Fire Academy. TTF1 provides some of the best training that you can get and it will allow me to help people in major disasters or crisis situations,” says Molinets.  One of his main duties is to “ready” the first responders and search and rescue dogs who are deployed to disaster areas. He serves as a Medical Specialist and is responsible for providing medical screening to his team.  He has already served on one deployment following a hurricane in Louisiana. Molinets trains with TTF1 each month. He also plans to attend additional training in December that will allow him to give onsite medical care to help stabilize rescued victims.

There are 30 medical staff on three teams who train at Disaster City.  It serves as the home base for TTF1, one of 28 national urban search and rescue teams under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA.) The multi-million   dollar facility provides state-of-the art training in all kinds of disaster scenarios.  TTF1 was one of the first six teams designed to respond to incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. Besides responding to natural disasters like hurricanes, this team    responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Big congratulations to Firefighter/Paramedic Molinets on this major achievement!