By David Fleet
Editor
Groveland Twp.-A team of 45 from the Michigan Task Force 1 packed up Sunday afternoon from the new mobilization center and headed south on an 11 day mission.
The MTF1 was heading south to assit with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma which made landfall Sept. 10 over Cudjoe Key in the Florida Keys. According to the National Weather Service the Category 4 storm with winds of 130 mph plowed north along the west side of Florida. The storm move up the state into Georgia late in the week.
Dean Masser, is a former Southfield Battalion Chief one of three MTF1 leaders.
“The team spent the Sunday night Chattanooga, Tenn., in the gymnaisum of a fire training college,” said Masser. “There were no other no rooms available due to those fleeing the storm from the south. The team reported driving, heavey rains heading to a staging area in Jacksonville, Fla. From there, team members will be deployed to other areas in Florida.”
The MTF1 warehouse is home to supplies and equipment used in the event of a major catastrophe including food supplies for workers, logistics, support vehicles, boats for surface water rescue, medical supplies, generators, ATVs, and vans to move the teams statewide.

Steve McGee, township fire chief and MABAS 3201 president was on the mission along with Dr. Jamie Barach, who also serves as a captian on the township fire department. The convoy includes 18 vehicles. Contact with the team is limited due to cell phone tower issues in the hurricane areas.
In addtion to firefighters the team includes law enforcement, public health, public works, emergency management personal, structural engineers, heavy equipment operators, and disaster certified doctors to name a few.
The MABAS warehouse stores equipment in one place for Michigan Task Force 1— the team of 45 heading to Florida is just half of more than 150 highly trained service personnel mobilized in the event of a disaster. Michigan is divided up into 22 MABAS Divisions if called upon by the Michigan State Police or state government. Those divisions includes Livingston, Lenawee, Ingham, Jackson, North Oakland, South Oakland, Western Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw, Downriver Wayne, St. Clair, Bay, Saginaw, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, Van Buren, Ottawa, Muskegon, Kent, Northern and Newago County.