Indiana deputy fire chief welcomed home after helping hurricane victims

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Crown Point deputy fire chief who headed to Florida earlier this month to help with hurricane relief and cleanup efforts received a special surprise "welcome home" on Tuesday.

Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Cusack and his K-9 partner, Jake, returned from their longest search and rescue deployment, and now one can look forward to retirement.

Crown Point fire trucks ran their lights and sirens as they pulled up for Cusack's welcome home Tuesday night.

"At first, I was wondering what was going on. I didn't see anything on the computer, and then immediately I knew they were trying to surprise me," Cusack said of his welcome home.

First responders in Crown Point, Indiana, welcomed Cusack and Jake home after 22 days on the road with Indiana Task Force 1, performing rescues and recoveries after hurricanes Helene and Milton.

"We come to this with a special set of skills, whether it be canine search, or our rescue capabilities, that we're able to supplement those local agencies and help them however we can," Cusack said.

The team of 80 first deployed to the South following Hurricane Helene, then went back to Florida once Hurricane Milton made landfall.

"There's people that 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 was definitely a significant impact on them," Cusack said.

Sadly, after 10 years of being on the road together, this was Jake's final deployment before retirement.

"He's been with me that whole time. He's a great listener. He keeps a lot of secrets for me," Cusack said. "But, yeah, it's going to be very difficult."

During their missions, Jake served as a search dog looking for survivors who couldn't call out for help.

"If there's no missions for him, he's kind of a furry therapist for the rest of the team," Cusack said.

While deployments 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 dire times.

"We're fortunate to have the skill set that we do, and get called upon to help those folks, whether it be North Carolina, Florida, or anywhere else," he said. "Just very lucky to have had those experiences throughout my career, and I get to bring a little bit of that home with me every time."

This marked the duo's 9th deployment together. Cusack said he will adopt Jake once he retires.