Pathfinders Task Force® is an all-hazards response team with experience in several of the most catastrophic natural and man-made disasters in modern history. Listed below are some of the missions that the Pathfinders Task Force® specializes in.

Mass Feeding Operations

The Pathfinders Task Force® has developed an efficient methodology for engaging in mass feeding operations. PTF emergency meal ration distribution centers can serve an average of 10,000 people an hour with the assistance of local spontaneous volunteers.

By using local volunteers which are often in abundance following a catastrophic incident, PTF helps the affected community with a force-multiplying solution. Local knowledge has often served an invaluable resource during emergency meal ration distribution.

Unmet Needs Fulfillment

After a disaster, there are often many people that find it difficult or impossible to reach local distribution points to receive emergency relief supplies. To ensure that these people get the care they need, the Pathfinders Task Force® mobilizes assessment teams into communities in search of homebound survivors. Once found, unmet needs are documented and shortly resolved by a follow-up team that delivers relief supplies directly to the homes of those that need it most.

Volunteer Coordination

After a disaster, an influx of spontaneous volunteers can sometimes prove troublesome to manage for an already overburdened emergency management staff. The Pathfinders Task Force® specializes in coordinating these volunteers into effective teams that are capable of performing many diverse tasks including door-to-door operations and points of distribution staffing.

Situational Awareness

By replacing traditional paper-and-pen documentation for responders in the field, the Pathfinders Task Force® is able to increase the accuracy, scope and timeliness for reporting critical information during emergency operations. Paper forms are electronically reproduced and loaded onto mobile devices that first responders use to document operations. These forms are automatically time/date stamped and geocoded without the need for Internet or cellular connectivity.

PTF augments the Planning and Operations Sections of the Incident Command System with this tool. Responders in the Operations Section are issued a smartphone that they use to complete standardized, electronic forms that document the operations completed during an operational period. To analyze and manage this data, PTF provides trained Field Observers to the Planning Section who are able to provide daily updates in the form of executive summaries and interactive maps.

All data collected in the field by this system is accessed on a control center that enables analysis of collected data. The control center can be accessed online if connectivity permits or loaded onto a mobile unit that stores data collected by first responders without the need for Internet or cellular connectivity. This allows use of the system in remote or otherwise disconnected areas.

Field documentation collected by this system is standardized, allowing for rapid and robust analytics. The format of data collected is standard Excel, allowing for interoperability with many other mapping and analysis software currently in use today.