CHICAGO (CBS) — A Crown Point deputy fire chief who left for Florida earlier this month to assist with hurricane relief and cleanup efforts received a special “welcome home” surprise Tuesday.
Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Cusack and his K-9 partner Jake returned from their longest search and rescue mission, and now we can look forward to retirement.
Crown Point fire trucks had their lights and sirens running Tuesday evening as they pulled up to Cusack’s welcome home.
“At first I wondered what was going on. I didn’t see anything on the computer, and then I knew right away that they were trying to surprise me,” Cusack said of his welcome home.
First responders in Crown Point, Indiana, welcomed Cusack and Jake home after spending 22 days on the road with Indiana Task Force 1, conducting rescue and recovery operations following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“We come to this with a special set of skills, whether it’s our dog search or our rescue capabilities, so we can complement and assist those local agencies however we can,” Cusack said.
The 80-person team first deployed south after Hurricane Helene and then returned to Florida when Hurricane Milton made landfall.
“There are people who have lost everything: loved ones, their homes, their businesses. Whether it was a landslide and flooding in North Carolina, or the storm surge in Florida, it definitely had a significant impact on them,” Cusack said.
Sadly, after ten years on the road together, this was Jake’s last deployment before retirement.
“He’s been with me all the time. He’s a good listener. He keeps a lot of secrets from me,” Cusack said. “But yes, it will be very difficult.”
During their missions, Jake served as a search dog looking for survivors who were unable to call for help.
“When there are no missions for him, he’s kind of like a furry therapist for the rest of the team,” Cusack said.
Although the stakes will be no more for Jake, and different for Cusack, he reflects on what it means to be called upon to help and serve in difficult times.
“We’re fortunate to have the skills that we do, and we’re called upon to help those people, whether it’s North Carolina, Florida or wherever,” he said. “I’ve just been very lucky to have had these experiences throughout my career, and I get to take a little bit of that home with me every time.”
This was the duo’s ninth deployment together. Cusack said he will adopt Jake once he retires.
