Firefighters spend hundreds of hours training for both the expected and the unexpected.
On Saturday it was the latter: Plainview firefighters assisted the Bethpage Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team in a drill designed to save a man from darkened water tank.
The "confined space training" was conducted in a 1.5 million gallon water storage tank currently being overhauled on the Bethpage Water District property.
The rescue scenario was designed to recover a "victim" from inside the 35-
foot high tank. Plainview's Tower Ladder 9533 was called
to assist in the training. TRT members were lowered into the tank and
successfully rescued the heavily weighted dummy "victim," raising it out of
the tank using the stretcher-like device firefighters call the "tokes basket."
The training was a success and was critiqued after the operation was completed.
Bethpage Firefighters expressed thanks to the water district for allowing them access to the storage tank for this special training.
Check out Kevin Imm's photo essay.
