OUR TEAM
Tidewater Disaster Response is a 501(c)(3) non profit first responder organization headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. Tidewater Disaster Response serves nationally at the request of fire departments and emergency management agencies. TDR provides specialized services such as search and rescue, flood and swift water rescue, disaster relief services and logistics, specialized sawyer teams and heavy machinery. TDR is fully self sufficient and our services are free to requesting agencies and are staffed by volunteers who are trained professionals in their field.
HOW WE DEPLOY
Tidewater Disaster Response has teams in Virginia and North Carolina, and we also deploy with many partner agencies spanning from Florida to Texas. The team deploys at the request of state, local, and federal agencies; and civilian response organizations (e.g., Crowdsource Rescue). When deployed, we operate  strictly using the Incident Command System. We act as needed in a support role of the requesting agency and answer directly to them.
TRAINING AND OPERATIONAL READINESS
Tidewater Disaster Response prides itself in being in a constant state of readiness. All TDR volunteers are certified according to State and National standards, and the organization operates solely under the Emergency Management System. All TDR volunteers complete Incident Command Systems training and specialized search and swiftwater technician training before they may deploy. Team leads have extensive field experience and have completed many advanced training courses that goes above and beyond the standard certifications.
HOW WE STARTED
A group of volunteers and first responders coming from many backgrounds came together to achieve a common goal, to help people in need. After completing hundreds of rescues, transporting hundreds to shelters and deploying to every major disaster since Hurricane Irma, we decided we wanted to take it a step further and attain non-profit status so we can help thousands more in a bigger way.
Tidewater Disaster Response is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Fairfax, Virginia. The board of directors and our training staff work to collaborate with other organizations to develop and maintain highly efficient search and rescue teams during natural disasters. The resources and assets of local municipalities become extremely strained during these large scale events, and we are here to provide support by assisting in search and rescue, flood and swiftwater rescue, communications, animal rescue, high water transportation, and logistical support..
Many of us come from fire department, military and medical backgrounds, and our main goal is the preservation of life, and the safety of our crews and crews working with us. We work with many different volunteer groups and organizations, and everyone comes together to achieve one common goal, to help the communities that need it most.