Key Biscayne Fire Rescue Capt. Justin Connors doesn’t consider himself a hero, just a willing participant to render aid in a time of crisis.<\/p>\n
Back on June 24, 2021, when the Champlain Towers condominium in Surfside collapsed, Connors was part of a search and recovery team helping to sift through the concrete rubble (called delayering), looking for survivors.<\/p>\n
Fast forward five years later \u2013 yes, again on June 24 \u2013 magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck just 39 seconds apart, devastating large sections of La Guaira, Caracas, and other neighboring towns in Venezuela.<\/p>\n
Capt. Connors was on the scene again, within just over 48 hours, this time with a group of 90 highly trained fire-rescue personnel and first responders deployed with Florida Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) Task Force 2<\/a>.<\/p>\n “There was a lot of news coverage (about the earthquakes), so we had some idea of what to expect, but this was a lot different from other deployments because of the scale (of the devastation). It was a much larger area,” he said.<\/p>\n As of last week, more than 6,100 people were reported dead, about 61,000 were hospitalized, and 1,400 were missing.<\/p>\n Connors said the USAR Task Force 2 team, which is split into sectors, made “one major grab (rescue), when a gentleman, from my understanding, was trapped in a security booth in a garage. It took 56 hours for that group to get him out, and they worked with a few other teams to make it happen.”<\/p>\n As of the last count, the interim government in Venezuela said the number of people rescued alive remained at 6,462.<\/p>\n “For the affected areas, there’s a lot of people, unfortunately, that there’s nowhere for them to go, and you’ll see them standing in front of their houses (as his teams worked around the structure),” Connors said.<\/p>\n Normally, the Coconut Creek father of a 4-year-old boy is part of a three-rotation shift with the USAR team, but this time he was called upon when there was an opening at the last minute. The City of Miami manages the unit, which accounts for 50% of those deployed. The other half comes from Palm Beach County.<\/p>\n On June 24, the disaster occurred, and on the 26th, the unit was activated. They were already on their way to Venezuela in the early morning of the 27th. The nine-day trip started from Homestead Air Reserve Base, with equipment and supplies on pallets that took up the entire center portion of the large military cargo plane.<\/p>\n Upon arrival, Connors was amazed at what he saw.<\/p>\n “Whenever you encounter that large of a disaster, it’s a very humbling experience to see that level, the forces of nature that make that happen,” he said.<\/p>\n The urgency of their mission was to sift through as much rubble as possible to gain access to any survivors.<\/p>\n “Depending on the level of entrapment, it’s about ensuring some stability,” he said, noting that much of the digging is done with portable tools.<\/p>\n For Surfside, he said, it took a month to fully delayer the surrounding grounds.<\/p>\n “Full delayering requires heavy construction equipment,” which his team did not have in Venezuela. “We are supposed to operate on our own for 14 days, so we bring our tents and generators, and we rely on our partners, like the State Department, which provides fuel, because we’re not bringing that on the plane.\u201d<\/p>\n Other U.S. rescue teams came from Fairfax, Va., and Los Angeles County.<\/p>\n A total of 35 countries were represented on this search and rescue mission, which came out to roughly 4,453 personnel and 204 search dogs combined.<\/p>\n Those in the Village have praised Connors’ efforts and others who have made urgent donations.<\/p>\n “Even though we are far away, we are surrounded by love and support,” said Key Biscayne Mayor Joe Rasco, who spoke at the latest Council meeting.<\/p>\n The Village website also recognized<\/a> Connors, saying, “His deployment reflects the professionalism, dedication, and commitment to public service that define Key Biscayne Fire Rescue.”<\/p>\n Educator and longtime resident Laudy Ibarra was emotional during her comments at the Council meeting, saying she offered her heartfelt gratitude as “so many people have come together with generosity and compassion. Every act of kindness has meant so much.”<\/p>\n Upon his arrival back home, Connors received a Kindness Ambassador award from KITS (Kindness in the Schools) on Key Biscayne for going “above and beyond the call of duty by traveling to Venezuela to assist after the devastating earthquake, helping search for and rescue survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n “His willingness to leave home and serve others in their greatest time of need is a true example of courage and compassion. … We are incredibly grateful to have Justin safely back home and proud to have someone who represents the very best of our Key Biscayne community,\u201d wrote KITS officials on the Instagram post dedicated to Connors<\/a>.<\/p>\n Connors, a 20-year veteran of the Key Biscayne Fire Rescue unit (two years as a captain), said he was happy to be back home with his wife and young son, doing “dad stuff” again.<\/p>\n He was proud to serve with his teams and for what they accomplished during the nine-day mission.<\/p>\n “Think about it, my life (back home) is on hold … you’re there until you’re told to demobilize,” Connors said. “There’s always more you want to do, always more work than you can accomplish at times. The team works hard, and it’s always an honor and a privilege to go on these trips.”<\/p>\n