The Pinellas County Technical Rescue Team received the 2012 Search and Rescue Responder of the Year Award from the Florida Chiefs Association.

The award was presented at the annual Florida Fire Chiefs Fire Rescue East conference held in Daytona Beach Jan. 23-26. The award recognizes a team or individual whose acts and deeds as a search and rescue responder or volunteer demonstrates the highest level of excellence and ongoing commitment to the fire service and community.

The Pinellas County Technical Rescue Team is made up of representatives from Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg fire departments. Pinellas County provides funding for vehicles and equipment assigned to the team. Firefighters selected for the Technical Rescue Team attend specialized skill training and development programs.

The Pinellas County Technical Rescue Team responds to any incident that requires specialized equipment or skills, including building collapses, trench cave-ins and industrial accidents.

For more information on Pinellas County Public Safety Services, visit http://www.pinellascounty.org/publicsafety/default.htm

For more information on Pinellas County services and programs, visit www.pinellascounty.org, now with LiveChat, or create a shortcut to www.pinellascounty.org/mobile on any smartphone. Pinellas County government is on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Pinellas County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.