PLAYA GRANDE (VINnews)-Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Florida Task Force 1 is on the ground in this coastal Venezuelan community, joining international efforts to search for survivors amid the rubble left by devastating earthquakes.

The elite urban search and rescue team, known as FLTF1, is focused on locating individuals still trapped in collapsed structures, driven by the hope that lives can still be saved and providing answers to thousands of families awaiting news of their loved ones.

For many team members, the mission carries a personal dimension. As Spanish speakers, the rescuers can communicate directly with affected residents, offering not only technical expertise but also reassurance, comfort and compassion in their native language.

“Our canine search teams are among the most vital members of this mission,” officials noted. Guided by their handlers, the dogs rely on their acute sense of smell to detect survivors beneath debris, enabling faster and safer operations.

The 80-member Type I Urban Search and Rescue team and its six canines are working shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. State Department and international partners far from home. No amount of prior training fully prepares rescuers for the emotional toll of operating in a disaster-stricken community, but they continue with determination and compassion, officials said.

The team will persist in its efforts in the days ahead as the search for life under the rubble goes on.

Florida Task Force 1 is one of the nation’s premier FEMA-designated urban search and rescue units, regularly deployed to major domestic and international disasters.