Lost at Sea!

[Guest WCDES636]

Last time Officer Floater was seen.

[Guest WCDES636]

Rescue drill a success (but not for the dummy)

By BILL HUGHES

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: June 28, 2007)

NEW ROCHELLE — Westchester County officials welcomed the latest addition to its Police Department marine unit by drowning a dummy in the harbor off Glen Island Park yesterday.

County Executive Andrew Spano was on hand to publicly unveil a specially equipped 27-foot Boston Whaler the county recently purchased. The boat, dubbed Marine 4, is the county's first all-weather search-and-rescue vessel, and will be used to patrol the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, Spano said.

With less than a week before the Fourth of July, the busiest day of the boating season, officials intended to show off the boat's capabilities by staging a mock rescue, using a helicopter the county bought last year in conjunction with the boat. The plan was to drop a dummy wearing a life jacket into the harbor, have the helicopter pilot spot the dummy and transmit the GPS location of the "distressed swimmer" to the boat crew and have them "rescue" the dummy.

But while a boat filled with media camera crews bobbed nearby, the chopper came in a little too low and the propeller wash caused the dummy to slip out of the life jacket and sink. The boat crew did, however, manage to spot and retrieve the life jacket.

"The guys in the bomb squad are going to be mad," one of the men quipped. "That was their dummy."

All levity aside, Spano stressed that the thrust of the event was to promote boater safety.

"More people will be out on the water this Independence Day than on any other holiday or weekend all year," Spano said. "Accidents happen. People are careless. This new patrol boat will enable the Marine unit to better respond to calls for help and protect people on the water." Spano also urged boat owners and their passengers to always wear life jackets and to take boater-safety classes.

"What we find most often with mishaps on the water is that people who don't take these classes are the ones who wind up getting into trouble," Sgt. James Luciano said.

The boat and its added equipment cost about $200,000, part of which was bought with a grant, said Demosthenes Long, the deputy public safety commissioner.

Among the boat's added features are thermal imaging and infrared cameras, advanced navigation systems, including GPS; floodlights and remote-control spotlights; a dive-rescue door to make it safer and easier to remove victims from the water; and rescue and first-aid equipment, including throw ropes, throw rings, a defibrillator and floating backboards and rescue baskets.

In addition to rescue and safety operations, the new boat will be used to increase the police presence in the waters around Westchester, Long said. Officers will be especially vigilant for intoxicated boaters and any suspicious activity around sensitive areas like the Tappan Zee Bridge and the Indian Point nuclear plants.

"Our goal is to ensure a fun and safe time on Westchester's waterways for all who use and enjoy them," Long said.

[shac 7313 0]

maybe they sould call in a dive team !!

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Now that's something that probably hasn't been thought of to try as an artificial reef. God knows they've tried everything else from washing machines to spent solid rocket boosters from the space shuttle.

[hudson144 150]

I heard from a good source that officer ***** ate the legs!!!! lol

Edited June 29, 2007 by hudson144

[stoney26 0]

Wearing life jackets is part of boater safety.In the picture only the dummy was wearing his.....

[Truck4 48]

Under the NYS Navagation Law, boaters are not required to wear PFD's, just have them onboard.