Urban search and rescue gets boost: Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, announces $56M funding, one of 28 task forces based out of Menlo Park, East Palo Alto

May 08 2026 Urban search and rescue gets boost: Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, announces $56M funding, one of 28 task forces based out of Menlo Park, East Palo Alto Home / Media / Uncategorized Originally published on May 8, 2026 by the San Mateo Daily Journal and written by Holly Rusch. Lawmakers including U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, secured $56 million in funding for national Urban Search and Rescue task forces, it was announced during a press conference at the East Palo Alto warehouse for Task Force 3. Of 28 national task forces that have been deployed during some of the nation’s most dire catastrophes, including wildfires, hurricanes and terrorist attacks like 9/11, eight are located in California. One of those California deployment groups, Task Force 3, is local to San Mateo County. Headed by the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and made up of emergency personnel from local fire departments, it’s an integral part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to disaster. “Most of us are fortunate to not be thinking day in and day out about what would happen during a large-scale national disaster, but the truth is, it could happen to anyone, anywhere, at any given moment,” Mullin said. “This mutual aid system is America at its best.” The funding, which is a $15 million increase for the program, was included as part of a congressional funding package for the Department of Homeland Security that had stalled over debate around federal immigration enforcement but passed and signed by the president last week. The effort to fund the Urban Search and Rescue program was bipartisan, speakers during the May 7 press conference emphasized, and was driven by budgetary concerns from the task forces. ###