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FDNY's Seasoned Water Rescue Unit
Battles
New York's Rip Tides, Murky
Waters
NY Daily News 8/16/09
FDNY
Capt. Joe Matthews lives to save people
— and to teach others how to do the
same.
On the day of the mid-air crash over the
Hudson River, the seasoned Water Rescue
Unit trainer raced to the site on an
FDNY boat to see if he could help.
Unfortunately, no one could.
"It seemed more and more as the clock
was ticking, it was going to be more of
a recovery operation than a rescue
operation," Matthews said.
When he's not rushing to the waterside
emergencies, Matthews' regular job is
training firefighters how to pluck
people out of the city's murky waters.
An Ironman triathlete, he works closely
with firehouses that sit close to public
beaches, showing fellow Bravest how to
battle waves instead of flames.
All of the city's 11,000 firefighters
receive some type of water rescue
training, but those working in shoreline
neighborhoods spend more time with
Matthews’ team.
Rigs working the sand look more like
surf shops than fire trucks. Floatable
boards, turtle fins, life preservers and
buoys line the insides of the trucks.
"The currents pull people in deep water
quickly, which causes people to panic,"
said Lt. Tate Hunt of Coney Island’s
Ladder Co. 166 in Coney Island, who was
trained by Matthews. "This is the
leading cause of drowning."
Water rescuers are often alerted to
struggling swimmers over their radios
after witnesses or friends phone 911 for
help.
The nine-year vet can vividly recall one
of this summer’s saves.
At about 6:30 a.m. on June 28, Hunt
pulled Terrence Samuels, 30, from the
ocean floor 50 yards from the beach at
Coney Island.
Hunt dragged Samuels through violent
currents, not stopping to pull equipment
from the truck. Firefighters met them in
the water, put Samuels on a surfboard
attached to a 600-foot rope and pulled
him to shore. He is recovering at Coney
Island Hospital.
The city’s waters have been deadly this
summer. Five people have drowned off the
Rockaways in the past month.
Firefighters get to those stranded at
sea either from the beach or jumping off
one of six FDNY boats.
They toss an orange ring overboard or —
as a last resort — dive into the ocean
with a surfboard to drag the victim
back.
In the summer, the calls are usually for
beach rescues. But on Aug. 8, a crew on
the 27-foot FDNY boat Marine 3 ended up
racing to the Hudson after a plane hit a
helicopter.
"A boat passing by called it into the
Coast Guard," firefighter Mike Olsen
said. "We heard the first call for help
on the marine radio."
The men on Marine 3 scoured the Hudson's
waters for about 20 minutes before being
told to return to their Brooklyn base.
Their rescue training was not needed
that afternoon.
simonew@nydailynews.com |
