Ready Force One. Colorado first responders in North Carolina to help during the storm. »

Lakewoodbased team in North Carolina to help

A Colorado crew of 45 first responders was preparing for deployment in North Carolina on Friday, running drills, gathering intelligence and testing equipment as Florence, downgraded to a tropical storm from a hurricane, batters the Carolinas.

Colorado Task Force One, based out of West Metro Fire Rescue in Lakewood, is currently staged at the University of North Carolina Pembroke, which sits about 80 miles inland.

The task force was in a holding pattern as of Friday afternoon, said Steve Aseltine, task force leader for the Colorado contingent. The team is on the outer edge of the storm. Pembroke has seen heavy rains, but thus far no flooding. The team is also restricted from working when the winds are more than 45 miles per hour, Aseltine said.

But that doesn’t mean the Colorado task force is sitting around playing Scrabble.

K9 handler Adam Cooper and paramedic Fred Salazar — both from Colorado Springs — helped prep Tag, Cooper’s K9, by giving him IV fluids. During search and rescue operations, the fluids help the dog stay healthy.

The team also used the time Friday to test GPS search equipment, conduct data transfers and gather intelligence.

“We want to make sure we hit the ground running,” Aseltine said. “We want to find out any more efficiencies.”

The team is working in tandem with FEMA, the National Guard and local responders from Robeson County, N.C.

The key: “Understanding each other’s capabilities and how we communicate,” Aseltine said.

Once the winds die down below 45 mph, the Colorado task force can engage at any time.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Denver’s Erik Herbst, a member of Colorado Task Force One, gets his gear ready as he and the team prepare Friday for search and rescue operations during Tropical Storm Florence in Pembroke, N.C. Pembroke is about 80 miles inland from the coast. Colorado Task Force One is based out of West Metro Fire Rescue in Lakewood.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Adam Cooper, a K9 handler from Colorado Springs, pets his dog, Tag, as paramedic Fred Salazar, also from Colorado Springs, gives IV fluids to the dog as members of Colorado Task Force One prepare for search and rescue operations during Tropical Storm Florence in Pembroke, N.C., on Friday. IV fluids help the dog stay healthy during his search and rescue work. The task force is staged at the University of North Carolina’s Pembroke campus.