PHOTOS/VIDEO: Florida Forest Service Team Assumes Command of Texas Resource Staging Area

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Florida Forest Service’s Green Incident Management Team (IMT) assumed command of a Resource Staging Area (RSA) in Texas earlier today. The RSA is located at Randolph Air Force Base Auxiliary Airport located east of San Antonio. On Friday, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried authorized the deployment to Texas of the 30-member Green IMT to assist with support and recovery efforts for Texans impacted by the recent winter storm.

The 24-hour operation of the RSA supplies both Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state trucks with truckloads of water and Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) to deliver to counties throughout Texas. In the past two days, 63 trucks containing 1,046 pallets of water totaling 41,840 cases of water were sent out from the RSA, along with 31 trucks of MREs containing 1,054 pallets of meals. 27 counties throughout Texas received water and 16 counties received MREs.

PHOTOS/VIDEO: Photos and video of Green IMT personnel in action may be found here.

One of the primary objectives of the Florida Forest Service’s Green IMT is to provide for the safety of all incident personnel and the public by ensuring protective measures are in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. “It is important that we observe all COVID practices to keep our team safe and healthy so we can provide the critical support to the citizens of Texas,” said Green IMT Safety Officer Larry Grubbs. To accomplish this, Green Team members are receiving temperature checks at the beginning of every shift, and COVID-19 tests are also being conducted.

“We continue to stand with the citizens of Texas who are have suffered through life-threatening sub-zero temperatures, power outages, severely iced roads, and other emergencies. Our Green Incident Management Team, composed of our hardworking Florida Forest Service personnel, are working hard to ensure water and meals get to communities in need while keeping emergency responders safe from COVID-19” said Commissioner Fried. “Whether wildfires, hurricanes, or other severe weather situations, our Florida Forest Service team is experienced in helping communities recover and rebuild following disaster, and they will continue doing so as the State of Texas recovers.”

Media seeking local information please contact Ludie Bond at Ludie.Bond@FDACS.gov or (352) 258-6084.

The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects wildfire on more than 26 million acres. Learn more at FDACS.gov/FLForestService and follow @FLForestService for updates.

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