November 13, 2006 – New York Task Force 1 (NY-TF
1), a member of the national Urban
Search and Rescue response system, conducted a Mobilization Exercise
(MobEx) in the Concord Hotel, in Monticello, NY. NY-TF1 is an elite search and
rescue team trained to extract victims trapped by heavy steel and concrete, like
in the aftermath of an earthquake or bombing attack. MobEx controllers prepared
partially and totally collapsed buildings and simulated a crippled overpass to
test the decision making and technical ability of drill
participants.
The scenario: At 11:23 p.m., a magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits 45
miles north of New York City. Several communities have sustained damage,
resulting in widespread power outages, evacuations, and road closures. Building
collapses and entrapments are reported. NY-TF1 is activated to support Federal
Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) operations.
The exercise: NY-TF1 reported to the Incident Support Team
already on the scene. Upon arrival,
NY-TF1 sent out a reconnaissance team and established a base of operations. The
recon team located victims requiring immediate attention and team leaders
prioritized the jobs based on the immediate threat to trapped victims. In one
challenge, the team rescued victims from automobiles pinned under a collapsed
overpass. In another, they used technical search techniques like specialty
listening devices and search dogs to locate and extract a family from a
partially collapsed, two-story home. In the final situation, the team busted
through the walls and floors of a hotel to reach victims trapped in rooms
rendered inaccessible by the earthquake.
During the drill, exercise controllers added a simulated
aftershock and a collapsed tunnel to the scenario. The team had to adjust the
rescue operation to account for the two team members who were now trapped under
the hotel pool along with the hotel maintenance staff they had been working to
rescue. The drill lasted for three days and was observed by over 25
controllers.
MobEx Confined Search and Rescue is an annual exercise
run by NY-TF1 to maintain and improve its ability to respond to events involving
the collapse of heavy steel and concrete.
Every year MobEx controllers add new elements to the drill designed to push
veteran NY-TF1 members past their comfort zone and help new members gain
valuable field experience.
