The Rusk County Rescue Unit was established in 1957, chartered by the State of Texas in 1961, and maintains a non-profit 501©3 status. The mission of this unique unit is to work together with all agencies in Rusk County to provide support and manpower wherever needed.
The membership of the unit is comprised of 16 members of which 8 are certified firefighters, 4 are DSHS Emergency Care Attendants (ECA), 1 is a paramedic, 1 is an EMT, 2 are public information officers, 4 are Incident Command System (ICS) certified 300/400, 10 are certified scuba divers and 2 are ham radio operators. The Unit meets the second Thursday of every month at 7 P.M. The Unit is currently under the leadership of Chief Larry Thomas and Assistant Chief Patrick Dooley.
The Rusk County Rescue Unit maintains membership in the Rusk County Emergency Service District #1, East Texas Search and Rescue, SFFMA (State Firefighters' and Fire Marshals' Association), WETFFA, DSHS First Responders and NWS SKYWARN storm spotters.
Training for this Unit includes, but is not limited to: dive team, water rescue, rope rescue, High Angle Rescue, Low Angle Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Missing/Lost Persons, Traffic Management, Evidence Recovery, Storm Spotting, Heavy Equipment Rescue, ICS Management Team, ICS 300/400 training, Vehicle Extrication, Firefighter Rehab, Scene Lighting, and certified firefighters.
The Unit houses a Sprint-Rehab Van/Command Post, 2 squad vehicles, 2 light rescue trucks, UTV-Polaris Crew, 24 foot pontoon barge, dive boat and 2 drag boats.
The Rusk County Rescue Unit responds with mutual aid to all of the 16 departments in the county when called upon. They also work closely with the City of Henderson, Rusk County and the Rusk County Office of Emergency Management during any and all acts of nature – such as severe weather, wildfires, and motor vehicle accidents.
