Search Teams

Our Search Teams

Baja California Task Force 3 (BC-TF3)

California Regional Task Force 7 (CA-RTF7) Ventura County

California Task Force 1 (CA-TF1) Los Angeles City

California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) Los Angeles County

California Task Force 3 (CA-TF3) Bay Area

California Task Force 4 (CA-TF4) Oakland

California Task Force 5 (CA-TF5) Orange County

California Task Force 7 (CA-TF7) Sacramento

California Task Force 8 (CA-TF8) San Diego

Nebraska Task Force 1 (NE-TF1)

New York Task Force 2 (NY-TF2)

Oklahoma Task Force 1 (OK-TF1)

Utah Task Force 1 (UT-TF1)

Virginia Task Force 1 (VA-TF1)

Virginia Task Force 2 (VA-TF2)

Deacon & Mike Toepfer

Deacon & Mike Toepfer

 

Team Info

 

Task Force: California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2)
Agency: Los Angeles County Fire
Level: Certified

 

 

Search Dog Info

 

Breed: Black Lab
Sex: Male
Born: October 16, 2015
Donated by an anonymous donor
Puppy Raiser: Pluis Davern
Sponsors: Mars, Inc., Celeste Matesevac
Named by Nancy Stone

 

 

Deacon was donated to SDF and arrived at our National Training Center in Santa Paula, California on December 26, 2016. What a present Deacon turned out to be! The young Black Labrador was as much a natural at disaster search work as we have ever seen! 

 

Within a few weeks of working with him SDF trainers reported, “Deacon is a crack up! He works with SUCH enthusiasm! He is very, very quick and intense, and barks so. He is going to be a rock star search dog.”  

 

Deacon approached each stage of training with the same energy, intelligence, and athleticism, and on September 1, 2017, Deacon was partnered with Captain Mike Toepfer of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. As members of California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2), this team is eligible to deploy internationally when disasters strike. 

 

Deacon and Mike focused on training together to achieve Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Certification, which they accomplished in Riverside, CA on March 4, 2018, and again on October 3, 2021. 

 

Throughout their careers the team has deployed on the following missions: 

 

 

Now, the team continues to train weekly in preparation for the next time they are called upon to help others.