This past week, five members of the Center Moriches Fire Department’s Water Rescue Team qualified as Swift Water Rescue Technicians at the State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany NY.

Over the four days, Firefighters spent time in classroom sessions as well as hands-on swift water rescue training. This training included assessing water conditions, rescue decision making, proper personal protective equipment, swift water rescue skills and watercraft usage. Firefighters also took part in an urban flood simulator which allows rescue personnel to train in flooded streets and buildings.

Located at the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany, this state-of-the-art facility is the only training center of its kind dedicated to training the state’s fire, law enforcement, and other first responders on the technical skills necessary to perform water rescues under controlled conditions.

The Center Moriches Fire Department Water Rescue Team is part of a multi-agency Marine Incident Response Team. This multi-agency response team is comprised of a special group of firefighters and EMS personnel trained to respond to water-based emergencies.

The Marine Incident Response Team would not be possible without the combined efforts of Mastic Beach, Mastic, Center Moriches, East Moriches, Eastport and the Westhampton Beach fire departments.

Each of the six fire departments have specialized equipment to provide a rapid response to a variety of water-based incidents including citizens or vessels in distress, search and rescue, marine firefighting, and EMS assistance on the water.

Combined, the team’s resources include rescue swimmers, SCUBA divers, fire boats, jet skis, hovercraft, numerous shallow water rescue boats as well as EMS personnel.

Once activated the team operates under a unified command and works together to provide efficient, and effective resources to any incident on our local waterways 24 hours a day 7 days a week.