Iowa Task Force One returns from responding to Davenport building collapse

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Iowa Task Force One, a statewide search and rescue team, returned home earlier this week after responding to the collapsed apartment building in Davenport that killed three people.

Iowa Task Force One has two groups, one based in Cedar Rapids and one based in Sioux City. Both were in Davenport, and at their peak, had just under 50 people and were working around the clock in 12 hour shifts.

Cedar Rapids division chief Rick Halleran says they are trained to respond to a number of situations, including having specific training for building collapses. “We have a lot of hats that we can wear depending upon what the emergency is and the needs of the local communities,” says Halleran. “We’ve sent people to Virginia Beach, Wisconsin, Texas, California, all over the place. And each, each position within the team requires additional training.”

Iowa Task Force One first responded to Davenport on Sunday, May 28th, soon after the initial collapse. Halleran says their first job was to assess the structure and scene, and helped make sure water and utilities were shut off so they could move forward safely before going inside the building, and using police dogs in their search and rescue efforts.

He says the situation was constantly changing as the building settled, and in order to be safe, they had to move slowly, and be ready to adapt. “We might have the plan of having the canines go to the basement. But the basement is full of water, so we can’t go to the basement. So what’s the next plan? It’s just, it’s just constant,” said Halleran.

Halleran says they spoke with experts from across the country throughout their response, learning from teams who had handled similar disasters. He says now, they can pass on what they learned in Davenport to help other teams with future disasters.

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