| The Sayville Fire Department Extrication Team recently competed in the Fire, Rescue & EMS Mega Show Extrication Challenge at the Nassau Coliseum for their sixth year. During the team's first five years of competition, they've brought home two third-place trophies. This year they earned themselves the first-place spot that they've coveted for six years! Receiving this prestigious first-place trophy sure pleased the team members and made their fellow firefighters proud.
The competition format is a simulated serious motor vehicle accident where the teams are judged and critiqued by three experienced judges accredited by the Transportation Emergency Rescue Committee of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (TERC). The team does not see the scenario until they walk into the competition area. It's just like rolling up to the scene of an accident…firefighters don't know what they are going to see and have to jump into action because someone's life depends on their rescue skills.
This year's scenario was one that most people would look at in horror had they come upon it on the highway. One victim was trapped in an overturned vehicle. A second car was nose-dived into the ground and precariously leaning atop this overturned vehicle with one wheel. Sayville's highly skilled volunteer firefighters went out there and calmly and efficiently did what they are trained to do for the residents of Sayville.
Rescue Captain and team member Dan Karl said, "The accident scenario presented to us this year was another difficult one, but our team handled the challenge perfectly, extricating the victim from the wreckage in a professional, safe, and timely manner. Our team's extensive training made an extremely tough job look easy. It doesn't get any better than that."
2009 Extrication Challenge Team Members:
Rescue Captain Dan Karl
Captain Chris Chester
Captain Bill Roderka
Ex-Captain Bob Smith
Firefighter Chris Bailey
Ex-Captain Chris Lopreto |
