GFR District Chief deploys to Texas with Florida USAR Task Force 8

Published on July 09, 2025

Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR) District Chief Devin Chapman, a highly-trained swift water rescue technician, has deployed to Texas with Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force 8 to assist in ongoing search and rescue operations in areas hit by the widespread flooding that has devastated communities across the state.

Florida USAR Task Force 8 is a team of firefighters from Gainesville Fire Rescue, Marion County Fire Rescue and Ocala Fire Rescue, who have specialized training in urban, wilderness and flood-related search and rescue. The team was activated earlier this week following a formal request for assistance from Texas through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid agreement among states. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis authorized the deployment, noting Florida’s longstanding commitment to sharing its disaster response capabilities with partner states during large-scale emergencies.

“District Chief Chapman’s deployment is a reminder of how interconnected we are, especially during times of crisis,” said Gainesville City Manager Cynthia W. Curry. “This is vital work that saves lives and supports communities in their greatest moments of need, and our personnel are always on standby and ready to respond.”

District Chief Chapman, an experienced incident commander, will be providing critical incident command and rescue support to local agencies, assisting in search and rescue operations, and helping to ensure the safety of affected communities.

Gainesville Fire Rescue currently has 20 personnel with experience deploying to hurricanes and other natural disasters. Their extensive training includes hands-on instruction in hydrodynamics and rescue swimming; simulated rescue operations in fast-moving water environments; and certification through nationally recognized programs to ensure proficiency in victim retrieval, boat operations and flood response.

The members of USAR Task Force 8 will join a coordinated multi-agency response on the ground in Texas, covering the counties where flash floods have submerged roadways, overwhelmed drainage systems, and triggered hundreds of water rescues throughout rural and urban areas. In hardest hit Kerr County, along the Guadalupe River watershed, the reported death toll had reached 111 early Wednesday, with around 170 people still missing.

“Gainesville Fire Rescue is honored to support operations to assist our neighbors in Texas,” said GFR Special Operations and Training Group District Chief Don Campbell. “Our participation in USAR Task Force 8 and our ongoing investment in advanced rescue training reflect our commitment to saving lives, both at home and across the country.”

Florida’s USAR teams have a long history of responding to both state and national emergencies. In 2021, multiple Florida teams, including members of Task Force 8, were deployed to the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Fla., where they worked around the clock in dangerous conditions to recover victims and support grieving families. In 2022, Task Force 8 also deployed to Lee County in the wake of Hurricane Ian to assist with post-storm search and rescue operations.

Gainesville Fire Rescue’s continued participation in these efforts reflects the department’s deep commitment to regional and national emergency response, while providing its own personnel with some of the highest levels of training and experience available in the fire service today.