New York Fire Fighters Recognized for Efforts at Mass Casualty Incident

From left, fire fighters Dave Waver and Jim Goole, Dispatcher Dana Granger, fire fighter Brian Canham, Lieutenant Mark Warner, fire fighter Nick Amendolare, and fire fighters Chuck Rinere and Ron Poness.

April 18, 2008 -- Seven fire fighters and one dispatcher from Gates Firefighters & Dispatchers Local 3792 (Rochester, NY) were recently recognized by Strong Memorial Hospital’s Regional Trauma Center for their outstanding efforts at the scene of a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) on February 10, 2007.

A massive 36 vehicle pile-up on Interstate 390 near the Greater Rochester International Airport occurred during a fierce winter storm with white-out conditions and below zero wind chills. The accident caused one fatality and 26 injured victims, including four critically wounded patients. In addition, several other victims were trapped in their vehicles, exposed to the harsh weather conditions.

The seven fire fighters who were on duty that day – staffing three fire department units – were among the first to arrive on the scene, and quickly began a triage and patient assessment operation to determine who the most seriously injured people were. These fire fighters were among the rescue personnel who extricated all of the critically injured victims within 47 minutes, working in harsh weather conditions, often climbing over several vehicles with extrication equipment to reach the most seriously injured.

A Mass Casualty Incident operation was declared early into the incident, deploying several fire and EMS agencies, including units from Rochester Local 1071 and Greater Rochester International Airport CFR Local 1636.