Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Director Gary Sera announced Thursday that Billy Parker is the new Director of Texas Task Force 1, the State’s elite Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) team.
Parker, who has been with TEEX for 30 years, had been serving as the Interim Director since March. That’s after former director Bob McKee was suspended following a complaint to a third-party ethics monitor. The nature of the complaint has not been revealed.
Sera noted Parker is widely recognized as a pioneer and expert in the field of urban search and rescue.
Parker has led the Task Force in some capacity during many of their most significant deployments, including 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
Parker was associate director of the TEEX fire school. Sera says there will be a study to determine how to fill those responsibilities.
The announcement was made ahead of a fullscale exercise this weekend by TTF-1’s 80-member white team at the TEEX Disaster City complex in College Station.
Gary Sera visits with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.

