KERRVILLE, Texas – Volunteer firefighters from the Czech Republic are among the more than 1,000 volunteers helping out in the Texas Hill Country search and rescue efforts.
Jiri Studnicka and Jaroslav Piesch are two of the men from the Czech Republic crew working on the recovery efforts after at least 107 people died in the Hill Country floods. They’ve been working in multiple areas alongside the Texas National Guard throughout their time in Texas, including Boerne and Kerrville.
“All of us are firefighters,” Piesch said.
They are also trained in other areas. Their crew operates drones, handles search, rescue and recovery dogs, and finds people in debris, among other recovery efforts.
These volunteers make it possible to locate missing people after the devastating July 4 floods.
“Cooperation between teams and coordination is really smooth,” Piesch said.
“When we are searching in the forest, we are using the small one drone, and if it is very hard for our dogs, we will make a first recognition, and the dog handler can see it on the monitor, and then he will go with the dog, there,” Studnicka said.
They also said it was an easy decision to help Texans, especially after the National Guard helped them in the past.
“It’s a pleasure to help here because the National Guard helped us last year with our floods,” Studnicka said.
“Thousands and thousands of people were evacuated [in that flood],” Piesch said.
It’s a partnership these Czech Republic firefighters hope to continue for years to come. For now, they are just hopeful these Hill Country families can grieve.
“We would like to express our condolences to them,” Piesch said.
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