| On Saturday, April 25, the YHFD Water Rescue Unit and Dive Team participated in the Westchester County Airport Emergency Preparedness Exercise at Playland. This year’s drill simulated an incident involving a full-sized commercial airliner that had crashed into a large body of water. The YHFD was initially assigned as the water rescue standby safety team for agencies operating at the scene. As the exercise expanded, and with YHFD serving on several host agency assignments for water rescue and SCUBA operations, additional YHFD units were added to the drill.
YHFD Marine units 55, 56, and 59 were among those deployed, conducting multiple surface water rescues. Overall, water rescue teams removed 73 simulated passengers from the water and provided triage as part of the exercise scenario. YHFD maintained Marine 57 and 58 in a standby role, staffed with rescue divers to support ongoing safety operations.
The department values the opportunity to participate in these important training events and work alongside numerous fire, police, and EMS agencies from across the region. Appreciation is extended to the Purchase Fire Department for their assistance with marine support and decontamination operations at the conclusion of the exercise.
YHFD units involved included: Cars 2531 and 2533, Rescue 55, MA-8, U-143, Marine units 55, 56, 57, 58, and 59, along with Drone 253. |
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