New Jersey Powered Up for Rescue Work

If a major catastrophe comparable to 9/11 struck New York or somewhere in the metropolitan region, Hudson County would roll out an armada of well-stocked rescue rigs with a host of well-trained crews.

Yesterday, the Hudson County unit of the New Jersey Emergency Management Services Task Force hosted a training exercise at the former Military Ocean Terminal, where the nearly 30 participants got a first-hand look at the county unit's impressive motor pool.

"EMS is not just an ambulance," said H. Mickey McCabe, head of McCabe's Ambulance Services, Bayonne's emergency service provider, and Hudson County Office of Emergency Medical Services coordinator. "It's got significant resources capable of handling thousands of victims simultaneously."

Ten communities in Hudson County now have Waterfront Strike Team trailers - acquired with a $250,000 federal Urban Area Security Initiative grant - which would aid mass evacuations from regional shoreline communities, including New York City, ferry accidents, train or Light Rail crashes, or power failures, for example.

Each of those trailers, which would be set up in an open field area, is equipped to handle up to 100 disaster victims at a time.

Jersey City, Bayonne, North Bergen, Kearny and Secaucus each have available three amphibious vehicles, acquired via U.S. Homeland Security grants, capable of negotiating marsh and/or flooded sites to retrieve disaster victims.

Then there is the $265,000 Mass Care Response Unit trailer - one of only three in New Jersey with the capacity of 25 ambulances - loaded with $85,000 in emergency supplies - which would be called out to help deal with mass transit smashups and/or major fires.

It's stocked with generators and lights, 50 radios of different frequencies, power tools to cut through fencing and other barriers, oxygen cylinders and masks geared to provide air to nearly 50 people for two hours, portable stretchers, backboards for immobilizing injured people, and assorted medical supplies - from bandages to intravenous and IV fluids.

Another part of the emergency arsenal is the Special Operations Unit trailer - also one of three in the state - priced at $365,000 including equipment. This vehicle would carry logistical support: two 20-foot-wide canvas tents, air-conditioning and heating units, coolers for misting fans to cool down rescue workers and patients, oxygen units, cots, radios, desks and work spaces.

Finally, there is the $750,000 Mobile Command Post trailer - designed to allow the chiefs of the various emergency units at a disaster to direct operations via on-board radio systems and faxes.

To keep track of people treated at disaster sites, Hudson County OEM is contracting with a vendor for about $80,000 to place their names, photos and locations in an Internet data bank accessible to authorized emergency personnel.