Recruiting drive for first responders in Suffolk County on Saturday

Aspiring first responders can find out what it's like to be a firefighter or an emergency medical technician on Saturday in Suffolk, when the county, aiming to refill pandemic-thinned ranks, holds a recruiting drive featuring a simulated crash between a train and a vehicle, officials announced Monday.

"The real importance of this event is to rebuild, reinvent and reinvigorate our ranks," Patrick Beckley, commissioner, Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, said by telephone on Tuesday.

Too many of the county's more than 100 fire departments and more than two dozen EMS agencies, he said, "are really struggling right now." 

"COVID really hurt our ability to recruit, and in addition to that, it's really taken its toll on our dedicated first responders who endured so much between COVID and all the other disasters that we have."

Both the public and first responders stand to gain valuable experience from the train crash exercises, Beckley said. Firefighters will delve into "the proper safety protocols" in approaching that kind of possible disaster, depending, for example, if the train runs on electricity or diesel, and how to gain entry to aid any injured passengers.

His agency's drone team, with four machines and six operators — who have special expertise — also will be highlighted. "What makes our operators different is that they are all firefighters and EMS workers, so they know what the fire chief is going to want to look at," Beckley said, pointing out that this technology recently has proved useful.

Drones were sent up for the first time on June 26 for a fire at a Wyandanch recycling plant, and then on July 3, after a shark bit a lifeguard in the chest and hand in waist-deep water at Smith Point County Park.

"We're able to get it up pretty quickly, just to give the lifeguard leadership an idea if there is any dangerous wildlife" around, Beckley said.

Representatives from the Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing, based in Westhampton Beach, will join the county recruiters from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Yaphank fire academy at 102 East Ave., according to a Monday news release.

And the nonprofit food bank, Island Harvest, will accept donations: canned vegetables, sauces and soups, pasta, beans, rice, personal care and toiletry items, and feminine hygiene products.

Noting more than 125 people signed up at last year's drive, County Executive Steve Bellone said in the release: "In Suffolk County, we are committed to ensuring that our volunteer fire and EMS agencies have the necessary resources to operate and protect our residents."

The county has 11,000 first responders, he said. Fire departments, junior firefighters and educational groups all were welcome, he said, urging them to consider donating to Island Harvest. 

Anyone who cannot attend can find the information they need to join at: suffolksbravest.com/volunteernow.