Training Committee Meeting this Saturday ,January 21, 2012
Location: Woodlawn VFC
Time: 9:00 AM
Hamburg Water Rescue Unit members respond with ALERT
ALERT Agencies activated for response to Tioga County
In the early morning hours of Thursday, September 7, 2011, ALERT Region 1 swift water rescue teams were activated to respond to TiogaCounty for massive flooding.
ALERT Coordinators Jim Miller (ALERT 9) and Ron Klimowicz (ALERT 9-1) began notifying region 1 swift water rescue teams and county officials for immediate response to the call for help, as hundreds of towns were inundated with massive flooding.
While in route to the Tioga County EOC, ALERT team members were diverted to respond directly to calls in the Towns of Waverly, Nichols and TiogaCenter. The response to these calls for help went on for over 72 hours and through out the night time hours as dozens of rescues were conducted, sometimes with Air support, never reaching their original destination of the Tioga County EOC. Alert units were then staged at the Nichols Fire Department where multiple additional deployments for rescue took place over the next few days.
ALERT Region 1 members responding were from Alden, Alexander and Sheldon Fire Companies as well as Alert Coordinators from The Hamburg Water Rescue Unit and Alden Swift Water Rescue Team.
Pictures by Ron Klimowicz and Dennis Wellspeak
Saturday June 11, 2011 at 1551 hours:
Hamburg Marine Units assist seaplane in distress
The Hamburg Water Rescue Members and Big Tree Firefighters are dispatched to a report a seaplane is distress about 100 yards off the HamburgTownPark. Upon arriving on location, Marine 9 was updated by assisting boaters that the plane was doing multiple touch and go landings on the water when it appeared the plane had stalled. Unable to get the engine restarted, the seaplane was drifting towards the rocky shores just North East of the HamburgTownPark.
Wave runner operators initially assisted in keeping the plane from drifting into the rocks on shore by towing the plane to deeper water as marine units from the Hamburg Water Rescue Unit, US Coast Guard and Town of Hamburg Fire Coordinator (D-2) John Carlin merged on scene to render additional assistance.
Hamburg Marine 1 arrived on location and again towed the plane to deeper waters and assessed the situation. It was determined that the plane could not restart due to a dead battery. Marine one gave “jump start” to the seaplane and followed the plane further out from shore to prepare for take off.
The seaplane lifted off with no further problems and all marine units called back in service at1625 hours.
Hamburg Water Rescue Unit Members MutualAid Reservation Fire Department
(Dispatch audio by ECFirewire.com)
More pictures
On Sunday evening at 4:33PM, the Hamburg Water Rescue Unit was dispatched mutual Aid to the Reservation Fire Company on Route 483, for a car in the water with people trapped. Marine 9 called responding and contacted Helmuth Fire control for an update from the scene to determine what resources would be needed. Reservation 9-1 reported that they had a car off the road into a pond, upside down and completely submerged. It was unknown at this time if any additional victims were in the vehicle because the single victim pulled out by witnesses of the accident, was unconscious and still being treated at the scene.
Hamburg Water Rescue divers arrived on scene and did a primary and secondary search of the vehicle and surrounding water for additional victims. None were found, so divers assisted the Erie County Sherriffs Department in removal of the vehicle from the water and then did an additional sweep of the water to again check for victims. No additional victims were found and the Hamburg Water Rescue units were placed back in service around 6:45 PM.
Multiple Police, Fire and Water Rescue Agencies assist Evans in search for missing young girl
Photos courtesy of Captain Kevin Caffery of Erie County Air 1
On March 24th, 2011 a report of a missing 18 year old girl came in to the Town of Evans Police Department. Within 25 minutes, multiple police, fire and rescue agencies from Evans, Hamburg and additional surrounding communities were on scene searching the 18 mile creek and the surrounding 575 acres of land. An exhaustive search continued for days as heavy snow, cold temperatures and steep terrain hampered operations and exhausted searchers from more than 27 agencies from around Western New York.
Members of the Hamburg Water Rescue and Dive Unit, Buffalo Police URT, Hamburg Police Dive Team and The Hamburg Fire Company STAR Team conducted an exhaustive search of over 3 miles of the 18 mile creek. On April 1st, 2011, the young girl’s body was found in the heavily wooded area near the creek, bringing the search to an end.
On April 14th, 2010, a debriefing and critique was held at the North Evans Fire Company where District Fire Chief Nick Mecca and Lieutenant Tom George of the Evans Police Department asked that their sincere appreciation and gratitude be passed on to all agencies involved.
Hamburg agencies assisting on the search were:
The Hamburg Water Rescue and dive Team
The HamburgVFCSTAR Team
The Hamburg Police Dive Team
Lake View Fire Company
Lake Shore Fire Company
ALERT coordinators Jim Miller and Ron Klimowicz would also like to extend their sincere thanks to all ALERT Teams that responded to the calls for assistance in this search.
Agencies from across Western New York assisting in the search were:
North Evans Volunteer Fire Company
North Evans Ladies Auxiliary
Highland Hose Volunteer Fire Company
Highland Hose Ladies Auxiliary
Buffalo Police URT
CattaraugusCounty Sheriff K-9 Unit
CSX Railroad
Alden Water Rescue
Eden Volunteer Fire Company
ErieCounty Emergency Services
Erie County Sheriff Air 1 and dive team
Evans Center Volunteer Fire Company
Evans Police Department
LivingstonCountySAR
New YorkStateForest Rangers
New YorkState Police
NiagaraCounty Sheriff K-9 Unit
Nofolk and Southern Railroad
West Seneca Water Rescue Team
ALERT Coordinators
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