Search and Rescue Training

Hi everyone,
I've been doing a lot of really interesting training with the Fire Department lately. On the weekend of the 12th and 13th we had a 2-day training session on Search and Rescue. We did awareness-level courses on Building Collapse, Confined Space Rescue, Trench Rescue and Industrial Rescue.

Our Fire Hall has a lumber mill across the street, so the Confined Space and Industrial Rescue information was particularly important. As a small department, our resources are limited, so we're not able to train to a technical level in many different disciplines, but since we are so isolated, it's critical to have at least a working awareness of the dangers involved in different types of rescue situations.

We trained with firefighters from about 5 other departments in the general area, which was really interesting. It's always good to meet some of the other guys, as you may be working with them on a mutual aid call at some point. The weekend was glorious as well, blue skies and 28 degrees. Too bad we were inside doing mostly classroom work - it was awareness level stuff, after all.

Fortunately, we were able to get outside on the second day for Trench Rescue and Industrial Rescue. We spent the afternoon at Kalesnikoff's Lumber Mill, getting oriented to the mill operations, identifying the hazards, and touring the area. Between kilns, stacked lumber and logs, the green line and shavings storage, there are a LOT of fire and safety hazards over there. To say nothing of the confined spaces, electrical hazards, explosive materials and generally sharp, nasty things.

Sometimes, the more I learn about the sort of things that Fire Departments are expected to do, the more I thing "what the hell am I doing?" I realize that money is tight, but relying in volunteers for a lot of this sort of thing is purely ridiculous. We don't have the time or money to be trained to the point where we can respond safely to the range of emergencies that can occur.

I suppose that we have to decide on a line between cost, safety and likelihood of events and try to walk it as best we can. Still, I can't help but think that local governments and regions across North America are over-relying on the willingness of a group of dedicated people to put themselves at great risk, with limited training, for the good of the community.

In every training course I've even taken with the Fire Department, they've taught us to protect our own safety above anything else. I can see that for a lot of people, the logical conclusion is that not being a Fire Fighter is the best way to ensure that safety - which leads us inevitably to difficulty in recruitment and retention. This is a hard, dangerous job, that we do with little or no compensation - not the best recruiting slogan, is it?