Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby is pleased to announce that the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Program, California Task Force-2, will continue providing international urban search and rescue services as part of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) disaster response efforts.

The USAR Program completed an extensive competitive process to obtain a cooperative agreement with BHA that goes into effect December 1, 2020 and will last for five years. This continues a formal partnership that has been in place since 2003 and allows the Department and its personnel to provide emergency response and technical assistance around the world. This partnership is run alongside the USAR team’s work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a domestic disaster response team.

“I am extremely proud of the members of our urban search and rescue team,” said Fire Chief Osby. “This accomplishment was made possible by their hard work, dedication, and innovation. We are honored to continue our partnership with USAID and provide urban search and rescue services around the world.”

In recent years, the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s USAR team has deployed numerous times in support of USAID’s humanitarian response efforts, including to the Bahamas in 2019 for Hurricane Dorian, and Mexico City in 2017 for a magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

L.A. County Fire Foundation supports lifesaving programs throughout the region.

To be a part of our team learn more or donate at SupportLACountyFire.org.