The New York Police Department has operated a coordinated air-sea rescue program out of Floyd Bennett Field since 1986 when scuba divers were stationed in shifts at a hangar containing helicopter rescue aircraft . The NYPD Aviation Unit operates night vision-equipped Bell 412 helicopters which fly to rescue locations carrying two pilots , one crew chief and two scuba divers . NYPD motor lifeboats from the Harbor Unit respond as well , meeting the helicopter at the incident site to pick up non-critically injured survivors who do n't require air evacuation . After the January 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River , NYPD air-sea rescue units pulled two survivors from the icy river and applied first aid for hypothermia , and divers swam through the submerged aircraft cabin to make certain all passengers were evacuated
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549
Air-sea rescue