The Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services deployed its mobile command unit and drone team for the first time to support firefighting operations by the East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company Inc.
At 8:23 p.m. Sunday, the East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company Inc. responded to a commercial structure fire at Omni Recycling on Alder Street.
Suffolk County Fire Rescue Deputy Coordinator Paul Miller reports that the first-arriving units were met with a heavy fire load and began setting up for exterior operations.
The Town of Babylon was contacted to order an excavator to help separate the debris and get to the bottom of the recycling materials.
The Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services then deployed its mobile command unit and drone team to support firefighting operations.
Once on scene, the mobile command unit was utilized as a base of operations for the drone team and incident commander East Farmingdale Chief Duane Welliver.
The drone was able to provide Welliver with a different view of the fire scene through the thermal imaging features of the drone.
This was the first time Suffolk County Fire Rescues drone team has been called to respond to an active fire.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Town of Babylon Fire Marshal and the Suffolk County Police Arson Squad.
Everyone was released from the scene by 1:30 a.m.
The following mutual aid companies assisted at the scene or by standing by at East Farmingdale: Bethpage Fire Department, Farmingdale Fire Department, Lindenhurst Fire Department, Melville Fire Department, North Amityville Fire Company, North Lindenhurst Fire Department, West Babylon Fire Department, Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance, Wyandanch Fire Company, Suffolk County Fire Rescue Mobile Command Unit, Suffolk County Fire Rescue Drone Task Force.
Story and photos by Suffolk County Fire Rescue Deputy Coordinators FC-33 John Ippolito and FC-61 Paul Miller.
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