One rescuer’s perspective of what some are calling the worst disaster in recent history.

I recently had the distinct honor and privilege of interviewing a good friend of mine after his return from earthquake ravaged Haiti.  Steve Miller is a 15 year veteran of the NYPD and has been part of FEMA US&R New York Task Force 1 (NYTF-1) for the last 8 years.  Steve is currently a Detective for the department’s Emergency Services Unit.  Prior to his current role he was a patrolman in the unit and was promoted to detective in 2003.  Steve has been involved in the testing and evaluation of many products that the NYPD currently uses.  Many of these products are now in service in public safety organizations around the world due to the rigorous testing standards Steve and his ESU colleagues put these tools of the trade through.  The NYPD ESU is a component of the Special Operations Division; the unit provides specialized support and advanced equipment to other NYPD units.

The Emergency Service Unit also functions as a Special Weapons and Tactical Unit (SWAT).  Members of "ESU" are cross trained in multiple disciplines for police and rescue work.  The training and real life experience these officers receive daily is utilized when they perform their roles as part of NYTF-1.  Steve recently had the benefit of applying his knowledge, skills and abilities to the devastating earthquake that occurred in Haiti just over one month ago on January 12.

It was early Wednesday morning January 13, the quake had happened the day before, on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 04:53:10 PM (EST).  Steve was due into work for a double, the first shift starting at 0630 and ending at 1430 at the US&R Warehouse.  In his estimation the task force was not likely to be deployed but there was a chance that a separate State of New York sanctioned Task Force from NYPD and FDNY might be called.  That did not seem to matter, for the rest of the day the workforce at the warehouse hurried to prepare the cache for airborne, international transport not knowing if and when they might be called.

Steve, knowing that he had poured his efforts into a worthy cause all day, needed to leave for the second half of his double.  He was due into work at ESU at 1430 and prepared to work until 2230.  As he was finishing up his shift around 0100 early Friday morning he received the call he was anticipating so eagerly. 

    NYTF-1 was activated to return to the warehouse to prepare and load the US&R cache for air transport to Haiti as they had all planned for, just a few hours earlier.  They repaletized some critical equipment for the deployment and were on their way to Stewart Air National Guard Base, home of the 105th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard.  The 105th is home to the C-5-A “Galaxy” cargo aircraft.  It is located about 60 miles north of New York City.  The original Load Plan called for the cargo to be transported to Haiti via the C-5-A but was abandoned when it was determined that the Galaxy would be too big for the airport in Port-au-Prince.  Two C-17’s were used in its place.  This presented a bit of a problem but nothing that could not be rectified.

    As Steve and the others prepared for loading they encountered some challenges.  The military loadmasters would not accept the normal K-9 cages.  These were made of metal wire and were not, in the eyes of the loadmaster, allowable to transport the dogs.  They did not provide adequate protection from possible falling objects and a better container was needed.  As a result the Task Force purchased Igloo dog kennels and replaced the metal cages.  This solved the problem and it was on to the next issue.  Trucks, fuel pods and a large tow behind generator were allowed to be filled to three-quarters full for the trip.  Due to the uncertainty of fuel availability in country it was determined that this was acceptable.  However, one last piece of the puzzle was yet to be addressed before take off.  A Phoenix Raven crew was being utilized and needed space for their mission.  The Phoenix Raven program ensures an acceptable level of close-in security for aircraft transiting airfields where security is unknown or additional security is needed to counter local threats.  Due to the fact that Steve, NYTF-1 and two C-17’s were going into a foreign country at a time of national disaster it was deemed necessary to make room for the Raven team.  This did not happen without some resistance from both sides. 

NYTF-1 was told they would need to bump 5 team members and 1 pallet to make room for the security force.  This could have been a major stumbling block, but due to the desire to work towards a common goal, both military and task force personnel were able to overcome this potential dilemma.  This issue was solved by reconfiguring the load and using all the resources available to both teams.  This became the theme for the rest of the trip, as Steve would find himself working with many other agencies and the need to adapt and overcome would serve him and the task force well. 
Now that Steve and the rest of the task force were in the air the mission took on a tone of seriousness.  These trained and prepared professionals were headed to an event the likes of which some had never seen and others had not seen since September 11, 2001.  For Steve and some of his friends this was a daunting reminder of how fragile life really is.  Amazingly enough, just 9 years ago they were staring their own legendary disaster square in the face.  This memory was not something any of them forgot easily.  As the flight continued to move closer to its final destination there were no issues to speak of until the aircraft arrived in Haitian air space.  As the hop approached the airport they received word that there was going to be a delay in landing.  Due to the space limitations of the airport and the high volume of air traffic attempting to get in and out of Port-au-Prince they were directed to circle the airport.  This continued for about an hour and a half, at which time the required room became available and the flight traffic subsided. 
As NYTF-1began to survey the area and develop plans for the location of their base of operations (BOO) they noticed FEMA US&R Virginia Task Force 2 (VATF-2) was already on the ground and had begun to build their BOO.  VATF-2 had arrived about two hours prior and had established a good location.  Both Task Forces continued to work sharing equipment and assisting each other as needed.  Many of the members of both task forces had trained together before as part of FEMA’s national training program so they were able to use this familiarity to their advantage.  This was a key component in their attempt to set up both Bases’ of operation before nightfall.

As the first day melted into the second the team received intelligence reports that they used to focus their efforts.  The days consisted of sector assignments based on where the United Nations directed them to work.  NYTF-1 was also in close contact with the local people and they provided reliable information as to the possible whereabouts of family and friends they had been searching for.  This local information proved to be valuable as it led the team to places they were able focus their efforts on.  Some of the assignments consisted of searching in a school that locals feared to be the final place their family may have been seen.  NYTF-1 searched and researched as distressed relatives waited for word of their family’s fate.  Most folks were afraid to go inside the buildings for fear of additional collapse.

The earthquake had occurred after school was dismissed so many of the children had left for the day.  Casualties were found during these search attempts mostly from crush related injuries.  Steve began to think as these efforts continued “what were these people doing when this happened, what was their role.”  It was hard to contemplate their last thoughts as their world literally came crashing down.  There was tremendous destruction all over.  Steve had seen this before but still could not get used to it.  He was assigned to the task force as a Logistics Specialist for this deployment but due to his prior experience as a Rescue Specialist he was utilized in that role as well.  The task force continued to search the local area.  They were sent to a grocery store where they worked in conjunction with the Florida US&R Team.  The two teams worked diligently to extricate three live victims from the site of the collapsed grocery store.  They were found in areas where void spaces had been created by large commercial refrigerators.  The teams were successful and this accomplishment was viewed as encouraging in the midst of all the destruction.  Steve was pleased, but puzzled by the construction of the buildings.  As he thought about this he saw the inferior building construction and realized where he had seen this before.  These buildings were constructed in similar fashion to what he had seen in Patio type concrete work back in the states.  Small gauge steel and low quality cement were used and he was sure this contributed to the lack of structural integrity and ultimately to the death of many Haitians.  The efforts of the teams continued with the completion of their fourth rescue.  This time the team from 1532 miles away extracted an adult male from his collapsed apartment building. The team then transported the patient to a nearby U.N. hospital for treatment.

As the day transformed to night there were tremors felt all around that reminded everyone that they were still in harm’s way each and every moment.  It was now January 17 and the veteran rescue workers of NYTF-1had been in country for a little more than 24 hours and had seen death and life all in the same small footprint.  They reflected on their experiences.  Miller described his thoughts; “I feel bad that there is not a better economic situation here, maybe that would have prevented this destruction and loss of life.” 
As the rescue workers of NYTF-1 set out to work on January 19, they had no idea of the events they were about to be part of.  The impact and magnitude of their efforts would be a bright beacon of hope for many Haitians and seen around the world as proof that people can achieve great things when they work together without concern for trivial items and notoriety. 
Steve Miller is by nature a good man, hard working, adventurous and easy to talk to.  His friends say he is always up for a good laugh and easy to befriend.  Today would be a day like no other for this New York City cop.  He would be involved in a world news making event…again.  The local police had told the team that there was a building that children were buried in.   NYTF-1and their counterparts from VATF-2 departed to the building site and began the tasks that they had trained for so many times before.  It was reported by a father that his five children had been in the building since the quake occurred on January 12.  With this news crews began working to free the children not knowing their fate.  Rescue efforts began and progress was being made as additional equipment arrived and all hands were busy.  Nightfall came and first contact was made with Kiki, a seven year old boy who had been trapped inside a hole for 7 days.  According to Steve, the young boy was scared and retreated further into the hole.  A translator was brought in to calm the boy and reassure him it was safe to come out.  After what some say seemed like forever and others say was in the blink of an eye, a little boy, tired, hungry and dusty was plucked from the hole.  As rescuers lifted the boy out of his underground world he threw his hands up and cheers rang out from surrounding rescuers.  This was a moment that will be chiseled into the minds of many.  Shortly thereafter Kiki’s sister was freed from the hole and more cheers rang out. 

The FEMA US&R teams from New York and Virginia had pulled off another rescue during what could be termed the worst earthquake in recent history.  The Miracle… Kiki and his sister were rescued alive after 7 long days.  The emotions of the rescuers were of elation and joy in an otherwise rotten situation.  Miller said “We were all chocked up and overwhelmed.” 
“We had a tremendous sense of accomplishment.”  He recalled that moment and described it as if he was a professional athlete who had just won the World Series or Superbowl.  He said, “It was a moment where we felt like all of our training had prepared us for this one purpose.”
Steve shared his thoughts at the end of our time.  These subjects are the “Lessons Learned” from one man’s perspective and should be digested as such.  With all of Steve’s experiences they should be considered.
-    All the mundane preparation we do is well worth the effort
-    Logistics makes sure everyone has what they need so they can do their job.  Treat the Loggies right.
-    If Logistics does not get their job done “It is like going to the World Series without bats.”     
-    Being prepared is paramount, go to the trainings and participate.  Drills are the keys to success.
-    Military Loadmasters hold the golden key.  You must do as they say.  It is their aircraft.
-    Good intelligence of the area you are travelling to will help you make plans for what equipment you may need and what issues may arise during transport and in country.
-    When you fly military BE FLEXIBLE.
-    Pay attention.  You never know when you might learn something that could save a life, yours or someone else’s.
As we wrapped up our interview Steve had this to add.  “I was part of history twice, once on 9/11 and the second time in Haiti.  This was a bit different though, we were the only game in town.  We tried to make the U.S.A. look good and provide a lasting impression.  Over the 10 day mission we searched over fifty square miles and participated in 6 live rescues.  We have proven that US&R can do the job and the public now knows we can do what we are asked to do.” 

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