Trucking Cares Foundation Chairman Phil Byrd, with ATA President and CEO Chris Spear and TCF President John Lynch present a check for $25,000 to Battalion Chief Jeff Lewis of Virginia Task Force-1.
Washington – Today, the Trucking Cares Foundation, the trucking industry’s charitable arm, donated $25,000 to Virginia Task Force-1, one of the world’s leading disaster response resources.
“One of the things the Trucking Cares Foundation was established to do was support those in need, domestically and internationally, following natural disasters,” said TCF Chairman Phil Byrd, president and CEO of Bulldog Hiway Express. “The work Virginia Task Force-1 does in post-disaster search and rescue is a critical component in helping people get back on their feet and we are proud to support their efforts. The TCF contribution is intended to help fund the acquisition of special equipment that falls outside normal budget appropriations. The bottom line is, if there is any industry that appreciates the need for special equipment, it is the trucking industry.”
Virginia Task Force-1 is an elite team of emergency managers and planners, physicians and paramedics and includes specialists in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, emergency medicine, logistics, hazardous materials, communications, canine and technical search. The team is headquartered in Fairfax Virginia and is sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Through partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, the team assists in search and rescue operations around the world and across the country.
While Virginia Task Force-1 is funded for their missions through their partnerships, according to the team the TCF contribution “is greatly appreciated and will be immediately used for acquisitions to increase effectiveness. Supplemental funding allows for equipment flexibility that otherwise we would not have.”
“When disasters strike, trucks filled with water, food and fuel are often among the first things people see as they begin picking up the pieces,” said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear, vice chairman of the Trucking Cares Foundation. “But our work can’t begin until groups like Virginia Task Force 1 get on the ground and begin rescue and recovery efforts. We are pleased to help this tremendous organization prepare for the next time the unthinkable happens.”
The Trucking Cares Foundation is the trucking industry’s charitable arm, focusing on several core areas, including: humanitarian and disaster relief; eradicating human trafficking; leadership development; strengthening the industry’s relationships with law enforcement, the military and veterans’ organizations; safety and research opportunities.
For more information on the Trucking Cares Foundation, visit truckingcares.org.
Established in 1986 as a domestic and international disaster response resource, sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, Virginia Task Force 1 rosters approximately 200 specially trained personnel, with expertise in the rescue of victims from collapsed structures, following a natural or man-made catastrophic event.
The team is includes emergency managers and planners, physicians and paramedics and specialists in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, emergency medicine, logistics, hazardous materials, communications, canine and technical search.