Ohio Task Force 1 members, K-9s return home from Maui
The members of Ohio Task Force 1 (OH-TF1) who were previously deployed to Hawaii in the wake of the deadly wildfires have returned back to the Miami Valley.
>> PHOTOS: Ohio Task Force 1 K-9s, handlers return from Maui
News Center 7 was there when the three human remains detection dogs, Melvin, Sunny, and Major, and their handlers, Heather Ferguson, Nick Fathergill, and Kim Veldheer, arrived back at their Vandalia headquarters Sunday morning.
“Our mission is to support the recovery of the folks that were lost in the fire and hopefully bring closure to families that would otherwise not have that closure,” Ferguson explained.
Veldheer told News Center 7 that arriving in Maui was “overwhelming at first” due to the large disaster scene from the fires in Lahaina and the different Urban Search and Rescue structure they had to fit into.
Fathergill, like the other handlers, said the heat and the sun resulted in them taking multiple breaks during their shifts.
“Lahaina means ‘merciless sun,’ so there’s not much shade. It’s hot all the time,” Fathergill said, noting that they took breaks every 20 minutes or so in order to make sure the dogs remained hydrated.
The K-9s and their handlers were activated on Aug. 15 to respond to Maui after the devastating wildfires, which left 115 dead.
>> RELATED: Evacuation order lifted after firefighters douse Maui brush fire near site of deadly Lahaina blaze
OH-TF1 members left for Maui on Aug. 16 and started their work the next day, working frequently with Urban Search and Rescue teams to search residential and commercial buildings, as well as vehicles. The members from OH-TF1 worked with teams from Washington and Nevada, as well as other handlers and K-9s that were deployed individually like they were.
The conditions and circumstances were tough for the team, but they said the people there provided motivation.
“It’s tough. There’s a lot of destruction, but the kind of thing that stands out the most is the people that we met that gave you —you know, we had a lot of compassion for them and it gave us a lot of motivation to do the hard work that we were doing everyday,” Fathergill said.
