Inside the Florida Condo Collapse Response

Michael Strongin, a paramedic for Hatzalah of South Florida, was resting after an exhausting few days following the birth of his son when he learned of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo, just a few blocks south, in the early morning hours of June 24.

“I gathered my gear and hurried down there on foot,” Strongin told EMS World. Though he has a fully equipped emergency vehicle at his home, Strongin wasn’t sure about the logistics of the scene and staging operations, and felt being more agile was the better course of action.

Strongin established a Hatzalah incident command post half a block from the scene and prepped for incoming casualties related to the collapse and subsequent search and rescue missions. But when it was determined that there was a concern of buckling and further collapses, Strongin retreated from his initial post and set up operations at a nearby community center, triaging and healing the wounded, arranging for transport for those with life-threatening injuries, acting as a community liaison, and leaving the search and rescue mission to the specialists with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

Dynamic Scene

“This was different than the MCIs I’ve been involved with in the past,” said Strongin, who was on the scene of major incidents such as the Hudson River plane crash in 2009 and Israel's 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense, responding to missile attack MCIs. “This was a very dynamic scene, having to physically move our location. You never know what to expect when you arrive.”

Though Hatzalah is an independent response agency outside of the municipal 9-1-1 system, Strongin lauded the seamless interaction with the Miami-Dade incident command structure and the shared mission held by all responders on the scene of the building collapse. “This was a combination of disaster medicine and community paramedicine at its finest,” he said. Because Hatzalah volunteers are integrated into the community and carry their own gear and response vehicles, they are frequently first on the scene and can serve an ambassadorship role in the largely Jewish community.

Injuries ranged from cuts and scrapes to the more serious, and operations involved coordination with area pharmacists to supply medications to survivors who escaped but left their medications in their homes. “You literally saw lives on the edge,” said Strongin, such as couches and bunk beds hanging from the side of the building where residents had been asleep at the time of the disaster.

An EMS captain with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was stationed at the Hatzalah command post and would summon emergency transport for serious patients, Strongin said.

Tip of the Spear

Benjamin Abo, DO, is an EMS/emergency physician with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1, in addition to holding medical director posts for multiple fire and EMS agencies throughout the state. Abo, a former paramedic, assumed the post of medical command for rescue operations at the collapse, driving 1.5 hours from Naples to the city where he completed his residency.

“We are the all-hazards tip of the spear,” Abo told EMS World about the Southwest Florida USAR. “We are a federal team sponsored by FEMA and housed by Miami Dade Fire Rescue.” Abo’s role was primarily the safety and welfare of his team during rescue operations, in addition to in-rubble search and rescue and triaging survivors.

“This is highly specialized rescue,” Abo said. “Sinking cameras into holes, combing through wreckage. You have live electricity and other hazards to work around. It’s a very dynamic scene.”

With over two decades of experience in EMS and emergency medicine across the world, Abo is no stranger to disaster scenes. “I’ve been blessed and cursed with many once-in-a-lifetime calls in my career,” Abo said. “They all have their own unique characteristics and challenges.”

Abo is collecting photos and mementos as he combs through the wreckage, which he hopes to be able to return to family members. “I’m saddened by the tragic events,” he said. “But I’m proud to be a part of such an amazing and selfless team of professionals. We have something to give and we want to provide it.”

'In It for the Long Haul'

“There is a word in Hebrew to describe an extreme state of panic in which you functionally shut down out of fear,” Strongin said. “I don’t often see it outside of combat and terror attacks. I saw the beginnings of it here, as survivors and families braced for the worst news.” Hatzalah volunteer EMTs and paramedics have access to training through Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. “MDA has the undesirable honor of being among the best in the business when it comes to experience in trauma and triage,” Strongin said.

“Hatzalah is doing a tremendous job,” agreed Abo. "We have our overlapping missions to get the job done. We are working hand-in-hand.”

As of Friday evening June 25, Hatzalah’s plan has shifted to more of a community support role, and Strongin has revised operations to ease the mental and physical exhaustion of his crew.

“I’m incredibly proud of all the rescue teams. Many of these men and women have never worked a large-scale incident of this magnitude," he told EMS World. "We expect to continue here for as long as it takes. We’re in it for the long haul.”

“This is the kind of chaos we religiously train for,” said Abo. “We don’t wish for it. But we are ready.”