12:04 a.m. ET, June 25, 2021
Former Miami-Dade fire chief explains how rescue personnel are searching for survivors
Dave Downey, the former Miami-Dade fire chief, helped explain how first responders are searching for survivors.
What authorities are doing: Downey said the department has an "established process" for dealing with a collapse. They also have "highly trained" search personnel who are part of a national urban search and rescue team, based locally.
"They are now engaged in what we call the void search. So what they're doing is going systematically across the rubble pile looking for any indication of life."
What tools first responders are using: Downey said they're employing dogs, cameras that fit into small spaces, and listening devices.
Why rescuers aren't using big, heavy equipment like cranes: Authorities are likely worried about the structural integrity of the rubble, Downey said.
"We have part of a building that hasn't collapsed, that's unsupported. There's a lot of debris hanging off the unsupported building. And so the rescuers are in tremendous danger in some of the areas that they're working, so it has to be a very methodical process," Downey said.