First responders from Amtrak derailment share their stories

PORT RICHMOND (WPVI) -- On Friday, we heard for the first time from those first responders who helped rescue the victims of Tuesday's deadly Amtrak train derailment in Port Richmond.

"Controlled chaos would be an understatement," said Inspector Mike McCarrick, Philadelphia Police.

In the moments after the train 199 derailment, police cut through a fence to get in to help.

"People screaming for help and you don't know which where to go" said Officer Timothy Coleman, Philadelphia Police.

"He took one side, he took the other side. He took one car, he took the other car another, you give me a hand, you give me a hand and civilians who were involved....and those who weren't injured, they were there, they helped extricate," said Lt. Joe Farrell, Philadelphia Fire Department Ladder 15.

Amid the chaos, passengers were calling 911.

"The people were frantic but they were also calm. They were able to say, 'I've been in an accident and I don't know where I am,'" said Ken Carey, Fire Communication Center.

Dispatchers were able to pinpoint their locations from their cellphones.

"It was showing exactly were the train crash was on the Frankford curve," said Steve Inszennik, Fire Communication Center.

One of the responders called in that night was Wyatt - a human remains detection canine. He was one of three dogs used.

"Their job is to find the people who were unaccounted for that we were trying to find," said Eric Derling, Pa. Task Force 1.

Wyatt marked several spots. One led rescuers to a person.

"We will continue to mourn the loss of eight brave souls on Amtrak train 188 but we will certainly acknowledge the miraculous moment of 200 plus people walking off a badly mangled and decimated train," said Mayor Michael Nutter.

First responders say they were just doing their job and that there wasn't time to think about the danger.

Many police officers administered tourniquets that night. They couldn't tell us how many, but say it was a significant number.

The tourniquets are fairly new for the department - an addition in response to major tragedies in Boston and other places.