Tennessee Task Force 2

Urban Search & Rescue

We are there when you need us...

Tennessee Task Force 2 - Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) operates out of the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, and builds on the established rescue capabilities of the Nashville Fire Department by adding engineers, heavy equipment operators, rigging specialists, chemists, search dogs and evidence preservation specialists to support first responders at structural collapse incidents and confined space rescue incidents. The multi-department US&R task force was established by executive order in 1995. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency authorized the designation of Tennessee Task Force 2 (TN-TF 2) after the team met federal standards.

US&R consists of more than 200 specialists from several Metro and Surrounding departments who respond to structural collapse incidents using high-tech fiber optic cameras, listening devices and trained search dogs to locate trapped victims. Team engineers devise plans to access trapped victims while other US&R specialists use concrete cutting tools, heavy equipment and rigging equipment to stabilize the structure and remove rubble, so Metro Fire and EMS personnel can perform rescue operations.