Local politician pushes to get funding, resources for urban search and rescue task force

PITTSBURGH — We typically don’t have natural disasters rolling through Western Pennsylvania, what we do have is aging infrastructure.

“I think the Fern Hollow bridge collapse showed these things aren’t predictable and we need the equipment and personnel in place to be able to respond properly to anything that could happen down the road,” said Senator Devlin Robinson.

Robinson heard from first responders the need to start an urban search and rescue task force based in Western Pennsylvania.

“It includes rescue specialists who perform all the rescue functions, high level, high trained paramedics, medical physicians, structural engineers, logistic specialists,” said Brian Kokkila, a Task Force Leader for PA Urban Search and Rescue Western division.

Add in K9s, equipment and machinery. It takes a lot to get this task force up and running. Pittsburgh already has a team but is missing the resource element.

“If you look back to the City of Washington, there was a building collapse with a trapped female for nine and a half hours. Because the team existed and was resourceful, we were able to remove her [from] an entombed building collapse and she survived,” Kokkila said.

However, not all missions are successful without all the tools. Currently, there is only one full team with all the resources, and it’s based on the other side of the state.

In this budget, Robinson secured $6 million to get the project started and is working to put operational funding into law moving forward.

“The goal as the Senator said is by January 1, 2026, to be recognized and in a position as that Type 3 team out here in western Pennsylvania,” said Tim Leech, the VP of Pittsburgh Firefighters Local 1.

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