ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orlando Wheel at ICON Park remains closed on Tuesday after it lost power and stranded riders for hours on New Year’s Eve.
Orange County Fire Rescue released drone video of that rescue on Tuesday showing crews climbing The Wheel to rescue people trapped in 20 gondolas.
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On Tuesday, Fire officials gave a press conference to give more details on how firefighters prepare to make these kinds of rescues.
During the press conference, OCFR Captain Greg Hubbard explained that firefighters train on The Wheel on a regular basis.
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That training is what prepared them to climb The Wheel and check each pod because they could not see inside.
Firefighters also used cranes to reach the people trapped inside 20 different pods.
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Hubbard, who is captain of special operations said his team has been prepared for emergencies like this since the ride went up about 8 years ago.
In fact, his team practiced for this exact scenario one month ago.
WATCH: OCFR releases drone video of rescue at The Wheel at ICON Park
“They did lose AC so we’re prepared to bring people down from every position on The Eye,” Hubbard said. “Another scenario we prepare for is if somebody were to protest and climb up and get stuck in The Eye.”
The captain said one person was examined for medical treatment once they were removed from the ride.
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OCFR is trained for multiple rides across Central Florida and has upcoming training with Disney and Reedy Creek on their rides.
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