MEDIA: Please click HERE for video/sound from the training. 

The training scenario was terrifying – an airplane with more than 30 people on board crashed offshore of Port Everglades. Just as they would in real life, first responders raced to the scene in search of survivors. This mass casualty scenario was the first opportunity for the new Southeast Florida Maritime Incident Response Team to train together and sharpen their collective skills. 

The training unfolded two miles off Port Everglades on Wednesday and involved more than a dozen agencies from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, including local, state and federal partners. Rescue crews weren’t searching for real people; instead, mannequins and portable flotation devices stood in for the victims and were plucked from the waters. Each “victim” had a note tied to it indicating the severity of their injuries. Once onboard the rescue vessel, first responders ferried them to a dock where Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue members began treating their wounds and transporting them to area hospitals. 

“We dispatched the call as we would in a real-world incident, established our unified command with players from all those agencies represented in the command post,” BSFR Captain Mike Majhess said. “We allowed the vessels to respond offshore, mitigate the incident, search for victims, bring them onshore and then it led into a treatment and transport scenario to definitive care.”

Making matters more challenging, the seas were rough. Rescue boats had to navigate choppy waters to reach the incident location as a strong current was spreading the victims northward in the water. Overhead, BSFR Aviation hovered and worked to guide rescue units to those in need. 

“We can’t dictate the weather, so having the weather being bad the way it was, I think it added to the challenges, and I think it made our teams better,” Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ted Elliott said. “I think they learn a lot more.”

Another wrinkle for the training was pairing members of fire rescue with law enforcement officers onboard law enforcement vessels. This allowed the law enforcement member to focus on safely driving the boat while paramedics could search for victims, rescue them and begin providing medical treatment. 

MEDIA NOTE: 

In the video linked above, interviews (in order) are:

• BSO Sgt. Matthew Gioielli (Joe-ellie), BSO Marine Patrol
• Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Captain Mike Majhess (May-jess)
• PBSO Sgt. Ted Elliott, PBSO Marine Unit