Local firefighters that helped save the lives of 16 people in Haiti in January 2010 are back overseas lending out a hand, this time in Japan after the deadly earthquake and tsunami combination from late last week that killed thousands and left many more stranded.

Virginia Task Force 1 spokesperson Cpt. Willie Bailey confirmed that members of the rescue squad based out of Fairfax County that includes several local residents landed in Japan on Sunday at approximately 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. He did not have a list of responders readily available as more than 70 shipped out total, but he said lieutenants Mike Davis and Rodney Vaughan, both of whom live in western Prince William County, are among those overseas.

Last year, at least 13 local responders took part in relief operations in Haiti. This time, those sent out with Virginia Task Force 1 joined up with their California-based counterparts in Task Force 2 after receiving deployment orders on Friday. Both groups flew into Misawa Air Base and are operating out of a base in the coastal city of Ofunato. They are receiving instructions from the Tokyo Fire Department, which is in charge of rescue operations.

"This is a little bit different because they had not only an earthquake, but a tsunami, (so) they're dealing with a lot of water as well," said Bailey. "That's why they took a complement of swift water boats with them along with swift water gear and there's also some swift water-certified folks with them as well."

Different media outlets reported that canines trained to seek out the living among the dead have joined the responders, who will be living off of supplies transported into the country. The Task Force groups are part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID. The Virginia crew flew to Los Angeles from Dulles International Airport in Sterling before heading to Japan.

Ofuntao is located on the northeastern coast on the main island of Japan. One report on TheTakeAway.org stated that, according to VATF-1 Battalion Chief Chris Schaff, most of Ofunato was washed away upon arrival. Schaff said during a phone interview Monday on WTOP that the team was "optimistic" that there were still people left to rescue and that hazardous material specialists are assisting the rescue crews to make sure they are not exposed to radiation from damaged nuclear power plants.