About Us
The Texas Line of Duty Death Response Team was one of the first official response teams in the United States. In 2000, after a blaze took the life of firefighter Scott Harshbarger, firefighter Wendy Norris and fire chief Dennis Gifford saw first hand how difficult a fatality is on a family and a department. From that experience they discussed the need of having a ‘strike team’ made up of firefighters of all rank that would respond within 12 hours to a department that suffered a fatality. Wendy, who is the President of Firefighter Ministries, started working on the details of such a team. She then presented her information to the Texas State Firemen’s and Fire Marshal’s Association whom readily agreed that such a team should be formed. In early 2001 the Texas Line of Duty Death Response Team was officially formed under the guidance of Firefighter Ministries, the SFFMA, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Since it’s inception, the Line of Duty Death Response Team has provided assistance to dozens of families and departments, consulted with hundreds of department around Texas and across the country, educated over a thousand firefighters and EMS workers in department preparation, and has officially partnered with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation LAST Program, the Texas State Firemen’s and Fire Marshal’s Association, the Federation of Fire Chaplains, and the Texas Fire Chiefs Association. And while the LODD Response Team no longer operates under the guise of the SFMO, they still work closely with the State Fire Marshal as well as with many of their investigators.
The Texas LODD Task Force provides assistance, consulting and education to all fire and EMS departments whether union, private, government, industrial or volunteer. Our team is made up of emergency workers of all ranks who volunteer their time to this important cause. The Task Force is funded through the donations and grants given by private citizens, organizations, and corporations and works under the 501 (c) 3 status of Firefighter Ministries.
