Team Rubicon provides volunteer services to the recovery efforts in
Pateros
On the afternoon
of July 17th, 2014 four wildfires merged into one large devastating
fire that ran through Okanagan County.
In 48 hours approximately 312 residences were lost and the City of Pateros
was devastated. Local, State, and Federal
first responders responded to the largest wildfire in Washington State history known
as the Carlton Complex. In addition to these responders, a group of volunteers
comprised of military veterans and first responders started to mobilize to
Pateros. That group of volunteers is
Team Rubicon. Their mission is to bring
the expertise and skills learned in the military, combined with first
responders, to help “bridge the gap” in disaster response and recovery.
Team Rubicon was
established in 2010 after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti. Soon after the
earthquake, two former Marines gathered six other veterans and first responders
and headed to help. The team arrived in Haiti and went to work well ahead of
any government agency, operating in areas that other agencies deemed too dangerous
and refused to go. Team Rubicon was
formed. Four years later Team Rubicon
has completed more than 65 operations, in both the US and across the world.
They are a 501(c)3 non profit organization whose work is supported by major
commercial organizations such as Home Depot, Tyson Foods and private donations,
which allows them to serve without having to bill or collect any type of funds
for their work.
When Team
Rubicon deploys to a disaster area they come as an all volunteer team and have
the ability to organize as an Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) or a
disaster medical support team. Their
members are highly trained veterans who apply the skills and expertise they acquired
in the armed forces and apply them to the complexity of disaster recovery.
Practitioners of the nationally adopted Incident Command System, they are well
organized and can take on a variety of All-Risk, All- Hazard recovery situations.
The team is currently
conducting Operation “Humble Trooper” in the City of Pateros and was requested by
the city to assist in debris removal, volunteer management, damage assessments
and administrative tasks needed to support the city’s ability to file the
various paper work required by FEMA for recovery funding. They will also
facilitate the creation of a Multiple Agency Resource Center (MARC). This center will be the location that Local,
State, Federal and private agencies will come together and coordinate during
the recovery.
“The community
has done a great job of pulling together; however, an event like this can be
beyond overwhelming,” said Robert Obernier, who has been designated by Team
Rubicon to serve as incident commander. “The city has placed its trust in Team
Rubicon and we are grateful for the opportunity to help residents on their path
to recovery.”
This is all
provided on a completely volunteer basis; the team will collect not one penny
for their work. All the costs to support the team are covered through various
donations and corporate sponsors. The
team expects to be in the community approximately three weeks but will stay
engaged with the city until their mission is complete.
There is also a
deeper mission for the team. Disaster
recovery mobilization allows veterans to reconnect with the sense of service
and comradery they had while serving in the Armed Forces.
“Disasters are
our business, veterans are our passion” says Obernier. The ability for veterans to reengage in
incident operations has helped ease the transition from military service back
to a civilian world. The reconnection
with fellow veterans in an operational environment allows for teammates to come
together and give back, not only to the communities they serve but to each
other. In four years participation has grown
from 330 volunteers (at the end of 2010) to 16,000 which is an increase of 4,849%
and still growing.
“They are
providing a critical support structure and taking care of the immediate needs
of the community. Their efforts will
have a direct impact on the success of the recovery for the City of Pateros and
their citizens. ” says Rocky Opliger, Incident Commander for California
Interagency Type 1 Incident Management Team 4,“We are incredibly impressed and
honored to have worked with Team Rubicon and their volunteers.”
For more
information on Team Rubicon or to sign up as a volunteer please visit:
teamrubiconusa.org or contact Public Affairs Officer Sam Kille at Kille@teamrubicon.org or (516)782-7062
Carlton Complex South Zone
California Interagency Incident Management Team 4
