The Whitehouse First Aid & Rescue Squad participated in this years NY/NJ Port Authority drill held last night at Newark Liberty International Airport.  Arriving in the early evening to complete the check-in process at an Elizabeth staging area, the EMS unit BLS 22-53 joined 21 other Ambulances from across the State.  The crew of 3 volunteer EMT's where then assembled into a Strike Team made up of 5 other ambulances before being sent off to the "drill".  Around 8pm, the call came across to all Counties across NJ reporting a simulated fire on board an incoming passenger plane.  The NJ EMS Task Force and County EMS Coordinators then notified agencies in their counties of the issue, and the possible need to support the EMS system from University Medicine & Dentistry of NJ (UMDNJ-Newark). 

Shortly after, the word came that the plane had crash landed with multiple injuries. The Strike Team including Whitehouse Rescue's Ambulance was deployed to the airport to assist with patient transport to area hospitals.  In addition, Chief Rainey was deployed as the Assistant Staging Area Manager with the NJ EMS Task Force.  Also deployed with the NJEMST where volunteer EMT Bucky Buchanan, who was assigned as the incidents Staging & Accountibility Officer, and per diem EMT Brayden Fahey, who was assigned as the Incident Check-In Recorder at the meeting point on airport property. 

After the approximate 100 patients where treated by the resources responding from UMDNJ/EMS, the NJ EMS Task Force as well as the Ambulance Strike Teams from around the State, the Port Authority served all to a hot dog and hamberger cook out, as their way of saying thank you for a job well done with another successful drill and learning experience.  This was the fire time the NY/NJ PA held their drill at nighttime in many years.

Whitehouse Rescue was the only participating EMS agency from Hunterdon County.  Both the Hunterdon and Somerset County Office of Emergency Management's EMS Bureau's also provided resources to the drill.

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BLS 22-53 arriving at Transport Unit

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Chief Rainey working on checking incoming units into staging

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EMT's Sfraga (rear) and Lima receive their first 'burn' patient to be transported to a local hospital

EMT Fahey reviewing information from the Air Tactical Group Supervisor Devin Kerins

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EMT Buchanan reviewing the Strike Team setups at EMS Staging Area.

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Hunterdon County Staging Trailer on site providing resources to Elizabeth Fire Department's staging operations