New York Task Force One simulates hurricane preparedness drills on Fire Island
FIRE ISLAND, New York (WABC) -- When disaster strikes New York City -- much like Superstorm Sandy over a decade ago -- an elite team of first responders are the ones who get the call.
On Thursday, they gave Eyewitness News a first-hand look at the training exercises that help prepare them for the type of disaster situations they might be faced with.
The exercise was just a drill. There were no real victims, but it's all based on what first responders actually see in the aftermath of a hurricane.
It might be someone who is badly injured and begging for help, in need of immediate medical treatment, exposed to chemicals or trapped.
"These are our superheroes. These are the best of the best. The people you want to come at the worst possible times," said FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker.
They are New York Task Force One: a search and rescue team made up of the city's elite first responders. They are sent to areas in dire need.
In an exercise, they traveled by boat to Kismet on Fire Island, which was cut off by flooding.
A canine is used to find a victim stranded in the weeds. It's what they learned since Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and what they've improved on for when disaster strikes again.
"More people swift-water trained, boat-operator trained, and search technology makes things a lot quicker and easier to find people and track people and make sure we got everybody that needs to be taken care of," said Joe Downey of New York Task Force One.
In a chlorine leak simulation, first responders who are training for a hazmat situation would arrive in full hazmat gear before entering the storage facility to eliminate toxic gases from getting out into the air.
This task force is one of 28 elite teams across the country that are deployed for everything from tornadoes to terror attacks.
"The first deployment was the Oklahoma City bombing," said Stephen Finnegan of the NYPD Emergency Service Unit. "That's the first time the team went out the door. Since then, we've been constantly going out the door."
They train for what they hope never happens.
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