Deadly plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia takes mental and physical toll on first responders
In the wake of Friday's deadly plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia, first responders are feeling the weight of the tragedy. Roosevelt Poplar, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, said the horrific scene is taking both a mental and physical toll on officers.
"The guys that's going on the ground, they're hanging in there," Poplar said. "It's a tough time. … They were out there in a split second."
The crash, which involved a medical jet from Mexico, happened within a minute of takeoff, killing all six people on board and one person on the ground. About two dozen others were injured. Police and fire crews rushed to the scene, not knowing what they were walking into.
Poplar, a 34-year veteran of the department, said this was an unprecedented event.
"I can actually say that nothing horrific has happened in the city since I've been a police officer," he said. "This is the first time that we ever had a plane crash and the first time that we ever had this type of tragedy happened so close to a community or residential area."
More than 400 officers responded at some point, Poplar said. In the days since, some have reported difficulty breathing, which Poplar said could be linked to exposure to jet fuel at the crash site.
"We in the last couple of days received information that a couple officers have difficulties with their breathing that responded to the scene," he said. "So, as I'm gonna state again, we took the proactive approach to make sure that we're taking care of, number one, the mental stability and the physical needs."
The police union is ensuring that injury reports are filed so any long-term health effects will be covered by the city.
Poplar urged officers to reach out if they are struggling.
"I'm hoping people will acknowledge that they need help if they need help," he said. "We're here to help them. It's not an embarrassment. We're trying to let them know that we're going to support them through whatever they need us to do."
