By Joe Downey
New york task force 1 (ny-TF1) received an activation order on January 13, 2010, to prepare its cache to respond to Haiti. An 80-member type 1 heavy rescue team was rostered throughout the night, and members reported on January 14. There are 19 specialty positions filled by members from the Fire Department of New York, the New York Police Department, and EMS. Our activation orders stated that NY-TF1 would support USAID/OFDA activities in Haiti. This deployment was unusual because NY-TF1 is not an international task force within the FEMA system. California Task Force 2 and Virginia Task Force 1 are the only international task forces in the Urban Search and Rescue System. Both teams were activated immediately and were on the ground working in Haiti. The magnitude of the event required a tremendous amount of resources, and the United States would send four additional teams with the two international teams.
Before you can fly on a military airframe, your load (equipment, tools, and vehicles) needs to be certified. Every chemical and flammable liquid needs to be documented on hazardous declarations, and copies must be submitted to the load master. If you do not properly pack your equipment, the team could be grounded. NY-TF1 logistic managers and specialists have spent hundreds of hours of research to make sure we would be able to fly without any problems. This time and effort allowed NY-TF1 to load the C-17 airframes without any difficulties.
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