Area Fire Departments Participate in Marine Drill

First responders from the Setauket Fire Department joined the Coast Guard and 10 other agencies along the shores of Cedar Beach on Saturday for a marine rescue drill designed to improve communication among rescuers and strengthen partnerships.

More than two dozen rescue personnel including those from Sound Beach, St. James, Northport, Nesconset, Ridge, Rocky Point, Miller Place, Mt. Sinai, Wading River, and Port Jefferson Volunteer Ambulance Corps participated in the drill.

Under command of the Coast Guard, in a Suffolk County Command Post vehicle, the rescuers' scenario entailed aiding a boat in distress one-half mile north of the Mount Sinai Harbor. Five people on board needed assistance. The fire departments were tasked with coordinating rescue efforts utilizing their resources – emergency medical services, fire boats, ambulances, all terrain vehicles, and other apparatus – to aid in the search.

“It was a good amount of partners and it’s nice to kind of knock the rust off for the spring time and kind of put the screw to the water,” said Ralph Kugel, officer in charge of the New Haven Coast Guard station.

Once the mock victims were rescued they were brought to shore, where triage commanders noted the injuries and had emergency medical technicians simulate a transport to area hospitals.

Port Jefferson Volunteer Ambulance First Assistant Chief Kathleen Johnson, commander of the medical team, said one aspect of the drill she that needed work was communication between the crews. But, she said, “It worked out pretty well. We had a lot of cooperation with everybody in the command van. We had a lot of personnel on the beach.”

According to James Trappen, ex-chief of the Mount Sinai Fire Department and commander of Long Island North Shore Marine Search and Rescue, dive teams from the Nesconset and Mount Sinai fire departments were working in the 51 degree water as a side drill.

“We found all five victims over an eight-mile area in about an hour, hour and a half,” Trappen said.    

Rich Schlude, third assistant chief of the Miller Place Fire Department, said his department would participate in future marine rescue drills.

“It was a great opportunity for all of the departments to get together with the Coast Guard to practice our unified response,” he said.