Los Angeles County Fire Department Search and Rescue Team rescue a Haitian woman from a collapsed building in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Justin Stumberg)

Jan. 18, 2010 -- In Los Angeles, where earthquakes are inately on the minds of area residents, actions speak louder than words. So, when the Haiti catastrophe struck, the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Task Force 2 Search and Rescue team immediately readied for their trip to the devastated Caribbean naiton.
 

After several days of waiting to deloy, 72 highly trained professionals traveled to the Haiti to help in search-and-rescue efforts. Among those now in Haiti to help are firefighters, paramedics, rescue specialists, emergency room physicians, structural engineers, heavy equipment specialists, search dogs and handlers, hazardous material technicians, communications specialists, and logistics experts

 "... these guys are... over there to be self-sufficient," Los Angeles County Fire Department inspector Frederic Stowers said. "They'll be working together. If necessary, they'll coordinate with members of the U.S. Embassy in Haiti for translators. But these guys are trained to be self-reliant."

Along with the search-and-rescue team now in Haiti, supplies that traveled along with these experts included 55,000 pounds of prepackaged tools and medical equipment to conduct help throughout the day and night.

By way of background, the colossal Haiti earthquake struck at 12:53 p.m. PT approximately 10 miles southwest Port-au-Prince. Thousands of people who live or were visiting the Haitian capital and its immediate area are feared dead while numerous substantial buildings collapsed in Port-au-Prince, causing mass destruction and complete chaos. Death numbers, in the thousands, are not definitive as lives are saved as each moment comes. See AP photo above for one such rescue by our Los Angeles team.

More information on Los Angeles Fire Department's efforts to help Haiti as news becomes available.