When Captain Chesley Sullenberger and the entire US Air flight 1549 crew heroically guided their Airbus A320 to safe and successful water ditching on the Hudson River, they justly received accolades and praise for their calm demeanor and superb flying. In fact, the entire rescue was validation of all the training and practice that the entire NY/NJ emergency response community has done since the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001. Somewhat lost in all the media coverage was the skillful flying of the NYPD Air Sea Rescue aircraft that were responsible for saving two passengers that had fallen or jumped off the airplanes wings into the river. The rescue was an incredible example of skill, training and teamwork.
The Air-Sea Rescue Team
The NYPD provides 24 hour a day, 7 day a week air-sea rescue coverage with a crew of two pilots, a rescue crew chief and two SCUBA divers. In all of the assignments performed by the NYPD, the air-sea rescue is one of the most demanding, requiring incredible teamwork and crew resource management sills and abilities.
When the call is received and the air-sea rescue tones sound, the five person crew responds to the aircraft and performs a quick, yet practiced and methodical start of the aircraft. Once airborne, the crew receives additional updates and/or information while enroute to the scene. Often the initial calls can be confusing and ambiguous. In fact, the very first 911 calls for US Air 1549 were received from callers in the Bronx. The callers indicated that a commercial airliner was in trouble and was crashing. Naturally, the Air-Sea rescue aircraft was directed to respond to the Bronx.
When the actual location of flight 1549 was confirmed, the Air-Sea rescue aircraft was re-directed to the actual ditching location. Once on scene, the aircraft perform a high reconnaissance. During this reconnaissance, all five crew members evaluate the scene, looking for victims and potential hazards. If the decision is made to proceed, the crew performs a low reconnaissance in which the crew essentially performs that same tasks completed in the high recon. If it is decided that a rescue will be performed, the entire crew very quickly reviews what will take place, and the aircraft is flown into position for deployment of the SCUBA divers.
The rescue crew chief conducts a last second safety check of the diver’s equipment and the divers get into position for deployment. If all signs point to a safe operation, the rescue crew chief signals the diver and the diver jumps into the water. Once signaling they have deployed safely, the second diver deploys in the same manner. The safety of the divers is always paramount.
A few years back, a diver jumped into the murky depths of the East River. Unfortunately, a wooden piling was lurking about a foot or two below the surface. The diver landed squarely on the underwater piling, fracturing his back. The second diver was then slowly hoisted into the river via the rescue hoist.
If the divers are deployed safely, the flight crew pulls the aircraft back and carefully keeps the divers under observation. The divers then communicate to the aircraft via a series of hand signals. If a victim is recovered and hoisted, the rescue crew chief has to perform double duty. All crew chiefs are certified New York State Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT-B). The crew chief must treat the patient AND recover the divers.
Teamwork, Teamwork, Teamwork
The entire air-sea rescue assignment is always a demanding assignment requiring the utmost in crew resource management and teamwork. All the actions and procedures are well-rehearsed and extensively practiced. Risk Management is always a priority, and every member of the crew has the assignment and in fact, the responsibility, to question any safety issues and point out any safety related concerns. Finally, every crew member has the authority to terminate a mission based on safety considerations. In addition to the normal and expected procedures, all crew members must be prepared for complications or emergencies. What happens if we lose intercom communications? The answer; the rescue continues using hand signals. What if the hoist malfunctions? What if we are off-shore and need to leave a diver behind? What if the hoist gets hung up on a boat or river debris? The crews constantly train for these possibilities.
The Reward
The constant practice, drill and training are sometimes rewarded with a very successful day. Certainly, the finally tally for flight 1549 was an enormous success. If it can be said that any good could have come from the events of September 11, 2001 it is that the NY/NJ region is able to provide a massive response within minutes. This incident dramatically showed that literally thousands of rescuers were on scene in less than 20 minutes. The final injury tally; two broken legs.
Rescue scenes are always confusing, dynamic and chaotic. It is nice to know that it is in fact controlled chaos and each response agency is hopefully working in cooperation and responding with well practiced and well rehearsed plans to achieve the same goal: saving lives.
