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Anyone here involved with TIFMUS or command structure of the Harvey stuff?

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    Anyone here involved with TIFMUS or command structure of the Harvey stuff?

    Here is the deal.

    I am pretty well involved with a special rescue team at work (municipality in DFW). I have no 'rank', so I dont understand how some of this works, at the higher levels. We train quite a bit for this kind of stuff (at least at my location). Team was started in 4/16.

    We were told on friday that we were sending a team down with boats and heavy vehicles.

    Was on standby, with no updates until yesterday afternoon. Got a call that we were "definitely going tonight or tomorrow morning. They want us there ASAP" The issue apparently was that we weren't registered with TIFMUS, we (the 6 of us that agreed to go) got rapidly registered within the hour.

    We were told to gear up and meet at 0630 today. That got changed to 0830. We met and hooked everything up, were told that we were waiting on the call to leave, and would be going to College Station to have our boats inspected by the GW, and then we would get our assignment. Sat around until 1400. We sent an email asking (basically) "***?"

    We were told that the reason we haven't been called yet is because they do not have a STAR (State of Texas Assistance Request) for our team at this time, and they could not authorize us.

    We were told to go home and remain on standby with our gear on us at all times.

    What? How are there federal assets still rolling in, 10k plus more national guard troops requested today, and out of state resources still being called in, but we are not 'authorized' to go?

    I grew up in Angleton, have 2 boats, and would be down there days ago if I wasnt on standby "we could go any minute" alert...

    #2
    It's government-hurry up and wait to make sure your paperwork is in order. Our government can barely wipe their butts without a stack of paperwork

    That's why the good ol boys just hook their boats and go-if volunteers hadn't gone there would be ALOT more deaths

    Just hang in there I am sure it is very frustrating
    Last edited by perow; 08-30-2017, 07:28 PM.

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      #3
      That sucks.


      Originally posted by perow View Post
      It's government-hurry up and wait to make sure your paperwork is in order. Our government can barely wipe their butts without a stack of paperwork
      In all fairness, I can't wipe my butt without at least 4 squares of paperwork either

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        #4
        What's even worse is you guys are ready to go to help give local first responders a break,which we all know they need.

        I can't even begin to imagine what the local first responders are going through doing their job but having to worry about their family & friends at the same time

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          #5
          There are definitely politics playing out here that most of us don't understand.
          On Monday you could launch and go out anywhere. There was little to no presence of public officials of any type. One street had a retired fireman helping direct things. The next day after many calls of help including from congressman things changed. The same locations had "officials" not allowing boats in saying there were plenty out. Yet you would only see a few trailers. At the same time you would here people on the radio saying they had been waiting on help.

          I'm sure well intentions but they don't make complete sense.

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