Praise Middletown Mayor Tony Perry praised and wished safety and thanks to Dan Kelly, Kevin Morrissey and Marcelo Aguirre, three Middletown members of the New Jersey Task Force 1 team.
The team is responding to the Asheville, NC. Area to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
In his thanks, the Mayor noted the three represent both Middletown and the state of New Jersey in providing efforts, strength and resources to victims of the storm that has ravaged the southeastern states.
Task Force One (NJ-TF1) has a singular mission of providing advanced technical search and rescue capabilities to victims trapped or entombed in structurally collapsed buildings.
All members pledge to provide efficient and effective rescue technologies in a planned and measured response system that mirrors the Federal Emergency Management Agencies guidelines on urban search and rescue and the appropriate National Fire Protection Association Standards.
Members further pledge to conduct all search and rescue operations in a professional, ethical, and understanding manner to protect the dignity of any victims and the local response communities they serve during such missions.
In order to ensure the highest quality of service and rescue, members of NJ-TF1 maintain their skills and abilities in technical rescue training flawless to all missions that require deployments to natural or man made disaster, hurricanes, floods, conflagrations, explosions, earthquakes, or weapons of mass destruction incidents that are beyond the capability of local emergency services.
Nor is membership in NJ-TF1 easy to attain. In order to even apply for the task force, because they are called to perform in such highly dangerous and physically demanding environments, applicants have to prove they have the stamina to carry out sustained operations without sleep or relief.
They must prove they have the upper body strength and ability to transport, handle and operate heavy tools and equipment, must be able to work in confined spaces, climb ladders and work at heights and can exit quickly to escape secondary collapse.
Applicants are required to perform tasks in all weather conditions and physically hazardous locations, including crawling through a 20-foot long culvert both forwards and backwards, climbing a 35-foot ladder to reach the top run and descend, pick up and carry no less than 50 pounds for a distance of 200 feet and remove a 50 pound rescue tool from a truck’s lift gate then return it to the gate ten times within two minutes, as well as walk on an elevated 12-foot long 4×4” beam securely.
Above all, they must also have good visual ability both daylight and darkness and prove they can function in a stressful environment without presenting any risk to themselves or others.
The mayor praised all members of the team, noting his pride in residents of Middletown being capable and willing to assume such risks in the field of rescue and assistance when and where needed.
