Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mark Klaene on October 31, 2010 at 12:25pm

We are in rural NM , population of 1150 with 660 homes in the fire district. I developed a low angle rescue program for us about 15 years ago and get a call for this about 1/year. At the time we looked at confined space (virtually non-existent here) and high angle . The high angle number of calls is much reduced (2 in 20 years).

Now all of these are basically mountain rescue type calls , although about 1/2 of the low angle calls are motor vehicle related. Besides of the reduced need we stayed away from high angle because of the number of people needed, the significant amount of training required, stronger emphasis and difficulty of anchors, higher risk, and amount of time required away from our primary duty to respond to fires.

Our primary mode of operation for low angle is near a road where we can use a winch as the hauling power and vehicle as the anchor points. This reduces the manpower/time requirement and greatly simplifies the operation while filling a need to our citizens.

NM has statewide SAR system here but the local area resources and the slow response of the statewide system is such that we needed to augment that with FD resources. Most state wide calls are so remote and the response time just to get to the area is so long that the extra time required to setup and perform the rescue is less consequential.

My advice is look at the need and what you can realistic train and equip for without affecting the other services you perform. Then develop your plan on how to do it. Stay away from technical rescue just because it "looks fun" and you have a couple of people that like to rappel. I have been urged over the years to do this and stayed away.

Permalink Reply by Barry Copley on December 8, 2010 at 9:32pm

Well we do search and rescue in the hills here in West Virginia.Matter of fact we just got back from doing one almost a hour ago.It ended up being a D.O.A. though unfortunately.But we also have a boat and a dive team in case someone drowns in the river or several ponds that we have in the hills here locally.

Permalink Reply by Wade Seely on December 15, 2010 at 10:39am

We have a special rescue commitee, which is tasked with researching what is needed in our district. we have a hazmat team with a signifigant amount of training and equipment, and we also have started a swift water/ ice rescue team. We don't see a lot of High angle or confined space rescues, but we do have people trained in both for that once in a time call.

One thing you might consider that several of the departments in my are have done is to start a regional trech rescue group. This group puts on a two week intensive tech rescue academy encompassing high/low angle, and collapse/confined space rescue. The idea is that if a major event occurs you know who you can call for help, and that those people will all be on the same page and have the same trainging that your deptartment has.

Hope this helps
TCSS
Wade Seely

Permalink Reply by Raymond Nobes on February 12, 2011 at 5:23pm

We have developed a team, or I should say trained several who are dividied amongst our shifts. Raised training awareness. We drill four times out of the year and may look seriously at regionalizing with other towns. Funding is extremely tight, and competes for support year to year with various department needs. Trying to get air shores so that we may use them for vehicle, trench, and structural rescue. We are very well equipped for con-space, rope rescue, water/ice rescue, vehicle rescue. Looking to expand our capabilities. We have a commuter rail line, and had a minor collision between two trains at night, and another car pinned under commuter train also a year ago. Average at least 2 High angle rescues a year. We have had several other wilderness SAR for minors, lost adults.

Permalink Reply by Bob Kolva on March 5, 2011 at 11:35pm

We serve a rural bedroom community of about 2000. We have 20 volunteers and only get about 80 calls per year. We are equipped and trained for ice and low angle rescue. Since we formed the team 10 years ago we have had about a dozen calls, both ice and low angle. As far as equipment we started small with the basics for low angle; ropes, webbing, rescue 8s, carabineers, harnesses and then added the ice gear a few years later.
Two of us are rope rescue technicians and volunteer on the regional tech rescue and USAR team. We handle team training and management. If you start a team training is critical. The basics of rope rescue are simple but quickly forgotten if not practiced.