Nebraska Task Force 1 is back in Nebraska after spending nearly two weeks in Texas helping flood victims.
The 80 member team was met by family and friends Tuesday afternoon.
First responders from Lincoln, Omaha, and Papillion Fire Departments are apart of the team, along with area doctors, structural engineers, as well as five canine search specialists and their dogs.
The team unloaded their gear and members were met by hugs and kisses from loved ones.
.@NE_TF1 is here!! Welcome back!!! pic.twitter.com/O2m2GGy9YJ
— Miranda Christian (@MIRanda_TV3) September 5, 2017
Omaha Fire Captain David Kirchofer has been with the task force for 14 years.
“It is amazing what those hurricanes can do, tremendous devastation,” Kirchofer said.
His duty was the decontaminate team manager; he kept the team clean after being in the water for hours.
He said the most amazing thing he saw down in Houston was everyone coming together.
“I was surprised by the resilience, the people and everyone reaching out to help each other, I know the last several months it's been division, division, division, and it took something like this to unify, unify, unify.”
With the threat of Hurricane Irma on the east coast, there is a change some Task Force members will deploy again.
“We have a lot of guys who are chomping at the bit, so it's come back, recharge, reload, redeploy and be ready to do at a moment’s notice,” Kirchofer said.
It will be a waiting game to see if Nebraska Task Force 1 will be deployed again, their gear and equipment will be clean, dried, and fixed to go out when needed.
