FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

School busses flipped over, concrete buildings collapsed to piles of rubble, utility workers buried in trenches, kids trapped inside a grain silo, and construction workers injured and hanging off the side of a high-rise. These are just of a few of the scenarios three Ocean City-Wright and two Fort Walton Fire fighters have been training for over the past six weeks.

The Fire Fighters attended five specialized classes: Rope Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Trench Rescue, Vehicle and Machinery Extrication Rescue, and Structural Collapse Rescue. Each class consisted of several days of intense hands on training.

The five classes these local Fire Fighters attended comprise the five disciplines of technical rescue that is required to become USAR members. These five Fire Fighters that attended the classes are the latest members to join a Florida Light Technical Rescue USAR Team, based right here in Okaloosa County.

The students began with Rope Rescue. This class taught the students how to design and build complex rope systems used in what Fire Fighters refer to as High-Angle rescue situations. The students repelled off the side of buildings and performed task such as securing victims into Stokes Baskets (Rescue Basket) while hanging stories above the pavement.

The second class in the series, Confined Space Rescue focused on finding and rescuing victims trapped in pipes, silos, or industrial equipment. This class also used rope systems and built on the techniques learned in Rope Rescue. Our local firefighters found themselves squeezing through 14 inch pipes and also crawling underground through drainage piping. The members even learned to lace to ladders together to create a high entry point above a grain silo.

In the third class our local Fire Fighters found themselves facing the challenges of victims trapped in collapsed trenches. Team members learned how to use specialized equipment to shore-up the sides of trenches and perform trench rescue.

The fourth class, vehicle and machinery extrication, involved learning techniques to extricate trapped victims involved in serious vehicle accidents. This class included scenarios ranging from vehicles pinned under overturned school busses, to tractor roll-overs, to vans hanging over concrete guard rails. The students utilized high pressure heavy lift bags, the “jaws of life”, and specialized stabilization equipment.

In the final class of the series these local Fire Fighters faced the challenge of searching for and rescuing victims trapped inside collapsed buildings, a scenario that could prove real in Hurricane prone areas. The students used hand tools to break through concrete walls, learned to move 10,000 pound pieces of debris using only pry bars and wood shoring, and built engineered systems to stabilize damaged structures.

From August 8^th- Sept 16^th these five local Fire Fighters stayed at the Fire College in Ocala, returning home briefly on the weekends. Having completed all five disciplines the members are now ready to join the local USAR team. These members have completed the classes and returned bringing back the skills and techniques they have learned to teach to other Fire Fighters.

These USAR teams are staged in several regions throughout the state of Florida and we are fortunate to have one right here in our area. The teams have been created with state funds to provide rapid, advanced, technical rescue capabilities following major disasters. Those areas fortunate enough to have a team in their area also reap the benefit of having the equipment and training available for local emergencies. Through the commitment and teamwork of Fort Walton Beach Fire Department, and Ocean City-Wright Fire District the residents of Okaloosa County have a specialized rescue team with advanced equipment and training ready to respond.

The classes have been paid for through State funds to increase the number of members statewide that are certified to be members of Technical Rescue Teams. The teams are part of a network of resources statewide that comprise the Florida Urban Search and Rescue Teams. Each of these teams have a full cache of specialized technical rescue equipment ready for deployment whenever called upon.

The training we received was tremendous. The facilities at the Florida State Fire College are top notch. We faced some real challenges these last few weeks. The principles and techniques taught are not the kind of thing you can learn from book. You have to crawl through the rubble, you have to crawl through the dark underground pipes, and you have cut the vehicles apart and flip the busses. The only way to learn this stuff is to put your hands on the tools and do the work. It was a tremendous opportunity for the five of us, and a great chance to work together between the two departments.

Related contact information:
Students attending: 

Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District:

Captain Ryan Christen