Bayonne Firefighters complete stabilization of an overturned bus during the April 2012 UASI Drill.The Bayonne Fire Department participated in mock disaster drills last week to gain valuable experience in emergency rescue situations.
From April 23 to April 26, Bayonne firefighters participated in Urban Area Security Initiative disaster drills along with firefighters and police officers from six area counties.
Over the four days of drills, firefighters practiced rescuing trapped victims from beneath fallen concrete and crushed vehicles at a mock multi-story parking garage collapse. The agencies combined their efforts to complete various scenarios within the mock disaster site.
The drills, hosted at the Newark Fire Department training grounds, were designed to test and perfect the special operations skills of "Metro Strike Teams."
The Bayonne Fire Department is equipped with a specialized rescue rig and tools that were purchased with Initiative funds, and the training drills are intended to help firefighters utilize the rig to deal with high-level rescues.
According to the press release, the Metro USAR Strike Team is made up of nine fire departments from Bayonne, Elizabeth, Hackensack, Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, Morristown as well as the five-municipality North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Agency.
Members also include New Jersey Transit and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officers. The team's full complement includes approximately 500 members.
Operated regionally with oversight from the State Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the UASI program is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and designed to help protect the country's urban areas most prone to potential terrorist attack.