Texas Frog Fest – 2015

Crystal Beach, TX   Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR) deployed rescue swimmers, paramedics, fire fighters and support personnel over Memorial Day weekend to the Bolivar Peninsula. Over the holiday weekend, estimated crowds of 100,000 people overflowed onto the peninsula. Working at the request of the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management in support of the Crystal Beach Fire Department and the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, TEXSAR members backed up emergency services on Crystal Beach deploying rescue boats and swimmers and utilized ATV’s and a UTV for beach patrol to provide protection and immediate service to the thousands of campers and day visitors. There have been multiple drownings in Galveston County recently, and dangerous riptides occurred over the holiday weekend.

Additionally, Marcus Luttrell’s Lone Survivor Foundation held the Texas Frog Fest on Saturday and Sunday in Crystal Beach bringing additional visitors to the area for a fundraising event aimed at providing a therapeutic retreat for returning war veterans. TEXSAR members provided security services at the front gate of the Frog Fest event utilizing radiation and metal detectors.

TEXSAR serves as force multipliers for local public safety agencies, deploying rescue swimmers, search and rescue technicians, medical personnel, wildland and structural firefighters. Working within the National Incident Management System, TEXSAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of professionally trained and credentialed first responders that is capable of multi-discipline Search & Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, Wildland Fire, and Disaster Response.  TEXSAR is currently a NIMS Type II Wildland SAR team and is on pace to be a NIMS Type I team by the end of 2015. At this time, TEXSAR has over 70 certified ground search and rescue technicians, over 30 certified flood and swift water technicians, 20 medical personnel who are certified at EMT basic or greater as well as wildland firefighters, a Type III Incident Management Team and K9 Teams certified in the HRD, Live Find, Trailing and Water Detection disciplines.

TEXSAR deploys throughout the state of Texas at the request of local, state and federal agencies, and there is never a charge for their services to requesting agencies.