PEMA Hits Brakes on Pittsburgh Emergency Task Force

An urban search and rescue team could come to western Pennsylvania at the behest of a bipartisan group of state lawmakers — but not with the endorsement of the state’s emergency response director. Philadelphia hosts a federally funded PA Task Force 1, one of 28 federal urban search & rescue teams, while the rest of the commonwealth relies on smaller teams. Two bills, House Bill 843 and Senate Bill 792, would establish a similar task force based in Pittsburgh to respond to emergencies.