{"id":552371,"date":"2025-07-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=552371"},"modified":"2025-07-25T05:22:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T05:22:59","slug":"czech-partners-assist-texas-army-guard-during-flood-response-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=552371","title":{"rendered":"Czech partners assist Texas Army Guard during flood response efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Petr Klega, left, a dog handler with a Czech Republic emergency response team, or CZERT, talks with another team member while taking part in search operations along the Guadalupe River near Sisterdale, Texas, July 18, 2025. The Czech team conducted operations in tandem with Texas Army National Guard members as part of flood response efforts.
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KERRVILLE, Texas \u2014 With just two days\u2019 notice, 16 firefighters and four search dogs from the Czech Republic arrived in the Texas Hill Country, teaming up with National Guard members to search flood-affected areas for missing individuals.<\/p>\n

The effort marked the first time the Czech Urban Search and Rescue Team, known as CZERT, operated on U.S. soil, a milestone made possible through the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, which has pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for mutual training and subject matter expert exchanges. The Texas National Guard and the Czech Republic have been paired in the program since 1993.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud. My team is ready,\u201d said Jarom\u00edr P\u00ed\u0161, the CZERT team leader. \u201cWe came here to help. The Guard and the Texas people have been good to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Matej Bartosik, a search and rescue dog handler with a Czech Republic emergency response team, or CZERT, works alongside his search-and-rescue dog Bart during flood response operations near Sisterdale, Texas, July 18, 2025. The Czech team conducted operations in tandem with Texas Army National Guard members as part of flood response efforts.
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The Czech team worked alongside Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard\u2019s 454th Engineer Company and the 640th Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Detachment, as well as Missouri and Indiana National Guard task forces.<\/p>\n

The CZERT teams and their search dogs, dual-certified in locating both survivors and victims, worked long hours in thick brush, unstable terrain, and July heat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dogs are part of the team,\u201d said P\u00ed\u0161. \u201cThey are trained to find people, to help us help.\u201d<\/p>\n

P\u00ed\u0161 said the dogs are more than tools; they\u2019re trusted teammates, trained to perform in chaotic environments and capable of locating people faster and more safely than human crews alone.<\/p>\n

Czech drone operators also brought a compact first-person view drone, flying it low and fast along narrow creek beds. At the same time, Soldiers with the 640th Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Detachment operated larger drones at higher altitudes to generate wide-area imagery.<\/p>\n

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\n U.S. Army Capt. Stephen Landrum, right, and U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Bartram, with the 640th Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Detachment, talk with a Czech Republic emergency response team member while taking part flood response efforts along the Guadalupe River near Kerrville, Texas, July 15, 2025.
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The teams combined capabilities in real time to scout terrain, mark hazards and direct searchers safely into hard-to-reach areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the coolest things we\u2019ve seen,\u201d said Army Capt. Steven Landrum, officer in charge of the team with the 640th Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Detachment. \u201cWe\u2019d fly up high, scan the area, find points of interest \u2014 and then the Czech team would come in and fly that FPV drone right through the trees. We were able to communicate and work together to cover a lot of ground quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Landrum praised the high-low flight strategy his team and the Czech team coordinated and said the Czech drone helped navigate places too tight for Guard aircraft to safely enter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey could get into spaces we couldn\u2019t, fast,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Soldiers with the 454th Engineer Company cleared flood debris and conducted coordinated grid searches. Their work was supported from the air and reinforced by task force partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of improvising,\u201d said Army 2nd Lt. Dominique Anderson, a platoon leader with the 454th Engineer Company. \u201cIt\u2019s boots on the ground, finding what works. We\u2019re all learning. It\u2019s really been a team effort the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Jiri Studnicka, a drone operator with a Czech Republic emergency response team, or CZERT, kneels beside search-and-rescue dog Origami while operating a small drone along the Guadalupe River near Kerrville, Texas, July 15, 2025. The Czech team conducted operations in tandem with Texas Army National Guard members as part of flood response efforts.
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Regardless of where they come from, Pi\u0161 said, what matters most is working together, communicating, coordinating, and helping people in need.<\/p>\n

The SPP partnership was built for moments like this, said Army 2nd Lt. Reese Surles, Texas Guard liaison with the Czech team. He said the Czech responders brought not only skills and manpower, but heart, and it showed in how they worked alongside U.S. forces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis partnership is built on trust, on real friendships,\u201d said Surles. \u201cThey come here to support us, and they know we\u2019d do the same. When we train together and respond together, it shows the world what this partnership means.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SPP currently includes 106 partnerships with 115 nations around the globe. Over the last three decades, the Czech\u2013Texas Guard partnership has included more than 300 engagements focused on defense modernization, civil support, and disaster response.<\/p>\n

Related Links<\/h2>\n

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com\/TheNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard on X | X.com\/USNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n

State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Petr Klega, left, a dog handler with a Czech Republic emergency response team, or CZERT, talks with another team member while taking part in search operations along the Guadalupe River near Sisterdale, Texas, July 18, 2025. The Czech team conducted operations in tandem with Texas Army National Guard members as part of flood response efforts. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":552373,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-552371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=552371"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":552378,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552371\/revisions\/552378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/552373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=552371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=552371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=552371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}