TAMPA, Fla. — CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis stopped by Tampa Tuesday to honor the members of Florida Urban Search & Rescue Task Force 3 for their work during the deadly Surfside condo collapse.
In the wake of the tragedy that claimed 98 lives, some 75 men and women across the Tampa Bay area were dispatched to South Florida to assist with search and rescue efforts. The task force is one of eight elite teams across the state that deploy to disaster areas.
“I saw the work of God when hundreds of Florida’s Urban Search & Rescue teams deployed and fought and kept fighting for any signs of life," Patronis said.
Task Force 3 worked 12-hour shifts in the Miami heat while completing search and rescue efforts, cutting rebar and concrete and clearing debris by hand.
“While Surfside was a horrible tragedy, it captured worldwide interest. It was also a place where we saw the best of what mankind has to offer. We must honor those that fought to save these lives and that’s what gathers us here today," Patronis said.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor shared the task force members have her undying appreciation and unending support for the work that they do.
“We are here to recognize the men and women who have dedicated their lives, not only to serving our community, but to serving our entire nation," she said. "We do all that we can to train and equip all of our first responders but there’s really nothing that could have prepared any of these individuals for the destruction and the devastation that they saw in Surfside."
During the ceremony, each member received a Surfside Memorial challenge coin which depicts the seal of the state of Florida and the Fire Marshal's Office on one side and has a partially collapsed Champlain tower on the other.
Patronis says the coins are for each member to do what they will with, but that he hopes they pass them down through the generations of their families so that “they know that heroes walk amongst us.”
While in Tampa, Patronis also pointed out the need for replenishment and equipment money for task force members. He also called the $10 million in play in Tallahassee for equipment and training would be a historic injection of cash for “these heroes."
You can watch the ceremony below.