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Deputy Chief Keith H. Johnson shares this latest dispatch from the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team:

The Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team, VATF-1 in coordination with the Government of Japan (GoJ), the National Japanese USAR teams and our international partners and the U.S. teams have made a thorough search of their assigned locations.  The GoJ has indicated that the U.S. teams have completed the missions asked of them.  VATF-1 completed  the search of the central portion of the city of Ofunato on March 15th (Tuesday) and Kamaishi City on March 16th (Wednesday).

The two U.S. USAR teams (Los Angeles and Fairfax County), comprising of 144 personnel and 12 live search canines, completed a technical search with canines and listening devices and did not detect any live victims in either location.  On Thursday the teams were once again assigned to search in Kamaishi City, where they continued to search for live victims.  At the completion of Thursday’s search assignment, the U.S. teams will have made a thorough technical search of their assigned locations.

The team arrived back at Misawa Air Base on Friday, March 18th at 7:30 A.M. for some much-needed rest, and recuperation prior to departing Japan.  The team departed Misawa Air Base and will be traveling to LAX airport to drop off CATF-2 in Los Angeles.

After departing L.A., the team is scheduled to arrive at Dulles International Airport on Sunday, March 20th, at 1:45 A.M.  Prior to their departure, the U.S. USAR teams transferred nearly $145,000 in equipment to the Ofunato fire department to assist with local recovery efforts.  The equipment includes 4 zodiac boat kits—containing boats, motors, fuel tanks, and paddles—16 kerosene heaters, 160 cots, and 160 sleeping bags.

Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team, Virginia Task Force One (VATF-1) and USAID thank the government of Japan for inviting us to assist in the aftermath of this tragic disaster, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunami.  We will keep the government and people of Japan in our thoughts as they begin to recover and rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

Source: Keith Johnson, Deputy Chief Keith H. Johnson, Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, Special Operations Division

The Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR), Virginia Task Force One (VA-TF1)  and the Los Angeles County urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR), California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) deployed  as part of  the  U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Office Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) response to Japan to assist in the response to the earthquake and Tsunami.

Note: Photographs of Lago and his handler Tim, of the six canine member VA-TF1 team, could not be found. To honor all the rescue dogs that went to Japan, I included photos of dogs that came from Switzerland, Germany & Japan.