Sunny Mindel (212) 442-9260
MAYOR GIULIANI THANKS NYC EMERGENCY RESCUE TEAMS FOR ASSISTING UPSTATE ICE STORM VICTIMS
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today thanked and congratulated New York City rescue teams dispatched to upstate New York to provide relief to the ice storm ravaged region. The Mayor was joined by Police Commissioner Howard Safir, Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, Jerry Hauer, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management and the 50 members of the City’s Emergency Response Team.
Mayor Giuliani said, "When hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers were left without power, 7,000 required shelter and countless others were stranded and needed help, the men and women of New York City’s Fire and Police Departments and the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management responded as they always do -- without hesitation. I would like to thank the men and women of the Police and Fire Departments for their exceptional performance last week."
Director of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, Jerome M. Hauer said the State had requested the City’s assistance, expertise and equipment for "road clearing, power restoration, medical emergencies and evacuation of affected areas. OEM coordinated the deployment of personnel from the City’s Police and Fire Departments."
Police Commissioner Howard Safir thanked and congratulated the teams and said, "All around the country, our response team members are known for their skill, their professionalism and their dedication to helping people amidst extremely difficult conditions. All New Yorkers tip their hats to each and everyone here today for a job well done."
Twenty-four members of the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit also rendered critical life and property saving services. With helicopters grounded because of inclement weather, one ESU team literally "chain-sawed" and "cherry-picked" their way through the debris-cluttered roads of Wilmington, clearing the way for rescue and utility workers to reach the previously inaccessible community. In addition to providing medical services, teams worked to restore utilities and install carbon monoxide detectors to prevent CO poisoning from malfunctioning generators.
Fire Commissioner Tom Von Essen noted the harshness of the elements faced by the 21 firefighters, EMT’s and paramedics transporting truckloads of equipment to alleviate the existing emergency conditions, and said, "The New York City Fire Department has a proud tradition of helping those in need, and in that spirit our members responded to the call for assistance from upstate residents in the wake of this month’s devastating ice storm."
Operating in temperatures that plummeted to 10 degrees below zero, FDNY members worked in several cities near the Canadian border, providing additional fire coverage, helping to extinguish four structural fires caused by kerosene heaters and providing lifesaving medical assistance to the 34 year old Chief of the Altona Fire Department, who suffered a heart attack on the job. In addition, firefighters and EMS personnel conducted carbon monoxide testing, road clearing, tree and debris removal and dewatering of flooded buildings.
Twenty-four hours after the storm struck, New York City’s relief teams made the nine-hour trip upstate by car and truck on Friday, January 9 and returned home one week later on Friday, January 16.
The Police Department’s rescue efforts were headed by Capt. Ralph Pascullo, while Batt. Chief Raymond Downey headed the Fire Department’s efforts. The overall effort was coordinated by Jerry McCarty and Kevin Smith of OEM.
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