The team was formed after a tornado tore through the town of Webb in 1963.Decades later, brave men and women are still carrying out the team's original mission.

"It doesn't take a lot of skill to want to help someone" says Chief Paul Grimes of the Houston County Rescue.

Those words come from a man who has been part of the Houston County rescue team for 4 years now.

Chief Paul grimes has a passion to help those that are in distress.

"When you get called upon, a switch turns on. You've got a duty to perform" says Chief Grimes.

Those duties include air, land, and water searches when someone is reported missing or in danger.

Hunters, swimmers, and boaters are usually the victims.

"You can have an accident on this river just like you can any of them" said a team member.

The rescue team has equipment including ATVs, land vehicles, even horses.

This air boat helps them get around in shallow water, and there is a particular incident where it came in handy.

"The tragedy that happened in Geneva County- all of the law enforcement agencies and rescue agencies, were all on standby" says Chief Grimes.

Thanks to mutual aid agreements, law enforcement and rescue agencies from across the wiregrass can help out in times of trouble.

Last April, Covington County assisted Geneva and Houston counties by allowing them to use their side scan sonar to look underwater for a missing swimmer at fowler park in Geneva.

"It eliminates the amount of time the diver actually has to be in the water and that keeps us safe. That is the purpose of that equipment; it also helps a family receive closure quicker" says Chief Grimes.

The divers train at Vortex Springs in Ponce de Leon, Florida. The only advantage that they have here is that the water is perfectly clear. If they are on a real mission, they sometimes have a hard time seeing.

"When the water is dark and murky, it is hard to see in there, and being in South Alabama, it’s hard to know what’s down there sometimes, we have had a couple of alligators that we have bumped into on missions, Kind of spooky " says William Seymour Houston County Diver

The rescue team has 10 divers including 2 instructors who are constantly training.

“Time is actually not on our hands a lot "says Chief Grimes.

When they're called out on a rescue mission- they must come up with a plan and get everyone in place.

"We have 2 divers and a safety diver on standby. That safety diver is above the water. He usually has hold of the rope because we have a rope that we suspend from, we put 2 divers in the water, we usually have a buddy rope where we are connected with one another, and we control that from under water, and the safety diver, we have rope communication."

Team members enjoy what they do. Hey train to keep their skills sharp and try to always be prepared.

"You get to recreationally dive in your free time and you get to help out your community and your neighbors when we are called to do it" says Daniel Collins Houston County Diver

"Keep yours eyes open, protect your neighbor, and I think the world that we live in and the communities that we live in will be a lot safer"

Here's an interesting fact- divers have to be certified at an advanced level before they are put on a mission.

They learn proper breathing techniques, how to use the equipment, and can dive depths of up to 108 feet.

Tomorrow, Rhiana will have the final part of her "hazardous duty" special series with a look at the Dothan fire department's Haz Mat team.