Firefighters Complete Intro To Technical Rescue Course

TECHNICAL TRAINING – – The lead instructor for the technical rescue course was Battalion Chief Brad Dillow of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. He is a state certified instructor with the University of Missouri, Fire & Rescue Training Institute. He was assisted by several other certified instructors from the Institute. Some of the training activity is pictured here.

Ste. Genevieve Fire Chief Mick Schwent says Ste. Genevieve County is fortunate to have industries such as Mississippi Lime Company, Holcim (US) Cement, Tower Rock Stone, Chemical Lime and other smaller facilities, but their presence means local emergency responders need to be prepared.

“Safety at these facilities is the number one priority,” Schwent says. “But, the possibility of an accident does exist and we, as emergency responders, must be ready to act in case of such emergencies.”

According to Schwent, local fire departments are called to respond to all kinds of situations, including incidents involving collapsed structures, confined spaces, water, auto and industrial entrapment.

“Those kinds of emergency response probabilities are categorized as ‘technical rescue incidents,’ and they require specialized response training and equipment,” Schwent says. “That’s why for the past 18 months, fire departments in the county have been discussing the potential for forming a county Technical Rescue Team.”

City and county firefighters took the initial step toward the formation of a Tech Rescue Team on August 21, by participating in a training course titled “Introduction to Technical Rescue.” It was the first of three courses that will be hosted by the Ste. Genevieve Fire Department and held at their firehouse and training facility on Pine Drive.

Firefighters from Kinsey, Lake Forest, Ozora, Bloomsdale, St. Mary and Ste. Genevieve participated in the training. Participants also included 12 members of the Holcim cement plant’s Emergency Response Team (ERT).

“Firefighters training alongside ERT personnel from a company can be invaluable in a response at an industrial facility,” Schwent said. “These guys can start the emergency process by stabilizing a victim and communicating the situation to emergency responders as manpower and equipment arrive. They know how the plant equipment works and how it has to come apart if someone becomes entrapped in it.”

But the training isn’t just designed to deal with industrial incidents.

Kevin McCart, assistant chief of the Lake Forest Fire Department and a full-time firefighter with the Antonio Fire District in Jefferson County, says diverse activities can lead to the need for technical rescue capability, including transportation accidents, ATV riding accidents, and extreme sports like rock climbing.

“And we are well aware that Mother Nature can play a major role when it comes to responding to flash floods, tornadoes and earthquakes,” McCart said.

Schwent agrees. “The fact that the city and county sit astride the New Madrid Seismic Zone makes the potential for technical rescue considerable,” he says. “Response to these types of situations requires personnel with specialized skills and equipment.”

Schwent said the Ste. Genevieve Fire Department presently has a limited amount of equipment for technical rescue responses. The equipment was purchased in the 1990s with a grant from Mississippi Lime Company.

“Our fire department will try to take advantage of future grant opportunities to acquire additional equipment to support a viable rescue team,” Schwent says, but he adds that having the appropriate manpower available will require “a combination of efforts from every department in the county.”

Local fire department officials have recognized that fact, including Kinsey Fire Department Chief Kevin Keyser.

“No one department has the manpower to provide a good response to a technical incident as we are all volunteers,” Keyser says. “We have to work and train together to be effective.”

The initial training offered this month is just the start, according to Schwent. “We hope to get another class completed this fall and still another in the spring,” he says.“This is a big step forward in this county to the goal of bringing technical rescue capability to our area and it takes a big commitment.

“All of the firefighters that participated are volunteers and are doing this on their own time, in addition to keeping up with their real jobs and commitments to their own fire departments. We appreciate the effort and we think everyone in the county will, as well.”