By Nancy M. West

 

Not all deck hands walk on two legs and wear foul weather gear. Some of them have four paws and brave the elements in a coat of fur. One such crew member was “Bear,” a golden retriever that performed tirelessly and heroically at the

World Trade Center disaster. Bear and his dad, as handler Captain Scott Shields likes to call himself, led the first search and rescue teams at Ground Zero shortly after the second 110-story tower collapsed. Bear is credited with finding the most victims during those first terrible days, including FDNY Chief Peter Ganci and First Deputy Fire Commissioner William Feehan. Bear is also credited with having made the only live finds by a dog. Bear's photograph recently graced the United Nations as An Example of a Hero to Humanity.

 

Rescuers who saw Bear work were awestruck by his ability to climb over 15 foot rubble piles, and adeptly maneuver on narrow girders. He was routinely hoisted into sunken pits of steel, and was injured when a sharp piece of metal punctured his back. Bear received medical attention and then dutifully returned to the pile. Several months later Bear's wound became cancerous. Although Bear was cured of this particular problem he died in September 2002, of multiple forms of cancer. A biography, Bear: Heart of a Hero was published in September 2003 and details Bear's life before, during, and after September 11th.

Captain Shields, who is trained in disaster management, played an active role in a variety of ways during 9/11. He devised a plan to transport firefighters and emergency workers by boats from piers along the Hudson River to North Cove, near the World Trade Center site. The plan was executed by the US Coast Guard under the direction of Captain Steve Whitrock of the ship the Catherine Walker, a state-of-the-art buoy tender. This lifesaving plan enabled rescuers, who were suffering casualties as they carried hundreds of pounds of equipment down the West Side Highway in the September heat, to reach the site fresh and intact.

In another mission, Captain Shields was also able to recruit DEA agents to assist Dr. Barbara Kalvig, Chief Veterinarian at Ground Zero, in setting up the only mobile veterinary MASH unit at the site.

 In response to Bear's heroic deeds, the New York City law firm of Proskauer & Rose established “The Bear Search and Rescue Foundation.” The foundation's goals are to provide instruction in emergency management to search and rescue teams around the country, to help equip these teams, and to provide free air transport for training and to emergencies where possible.

On May 22^nd and 23^rd The Bear Search and Rescue Foundation will sponsor its second annual Marine Safety Training in New York Harbor. “I learned the tremendous importance of cooperative inter-agency training on the site of the World Trade Center,” says Captain Shields who serves as president of the foundation. “I saw the importance of my having worked with many varied agencies prior to 9/11. Knowing their command structures and methodologies gave me a step-up on other emergency managers who only knew how to deal with local organizations. September 11^th showed us how important the subtle interplay among agencies can be. Training and planning together, and a greater familiarity with the abilities of other organizations can enhance our ability to protect our citizens.”

More than a dozen agencies plan to take part in this weekend long event, including the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, the New York Army National Guard, The New Jersey Sea Scouts, and the New York City Urban Parks Service Search and Rescue Team (Captain Shields is Coordinator of Marine Safety). “Although this training is oriented toward rescue for water events such as swimming, kayaking, boating etc, all emergency management is really event management,” says Shields. “If you can learn to control and protect a thond person swim in the harbor, those lessons transfer well if you need to ratchet up in a full-scale disaster.”

The training will take place at Pier 63 at 23rd Street - 8AM to 6PM Saturday and 9AM to 6PM on Sunday. Contact info: 732-713-6298.