Water Rescues - Is your department trained?

[JohnnyOV 2]

After the last storm over the weekend, and with the impending storm coming over the next few days I got to wondering, how does your department train for water rescues in our area? I heard numerous departments go out for rescues over sunday night and monday morning and never call for a water rescue team. If you've trained to NFPA 1006 and 1670 and are proficient in technical rescues, then obviously this does not apply to you.

Water rescues are an extremely high hazard, with a very low probability of occurrence. They are one of the most dangerous aspects of our job, and one that most of the fire service, unless properly trained in, have very little knowledge and experience in. I know off the top of my head that Elmsford and Yorktown have water rescue teams who are established and train for these types of scenarios on a regular basis. These are highly technical scenes, and just like a high angle rescue, entering a structure fire, or other technical scenarios, should only be preformed by trained personnel.

As an example, yesterday a department was dispatched to a water rescue. The medics, who arrived on scene moments before the water rescue team did, wanted to drive their Fly Car out to the victim, who was on the hood of his car which was submerged in water, pick him up, and reverse back to dry land. Yes, this idea actually occured, however the IC put a stop to it and sent the water rescue team in to retrieve the victim.

Ideas like this are bound to get an emergency service worker injured or killed at an incident like this. NIOSH, just released a report about a volunteer who was wearing the wrong PPE at a water rescue and subsequently was swept away in frigged water, drowned, and was found 4 days later down stream. ( http://www.firefight...y/newsid/130974) There are numerous resources around the county which can assist you at your incident and do so without endangering the lives of untrained firefighters. Your best best is to call them out on dispatch, and turn them around if you really do not need them.

Edited March 8, 2011 by JohnnyOV

[JJB531 652]

Just tell your agency you need a few of these bad boys to be water rescue capable!

[x129K 1,393]

No.

[JJB531 652]

No.

Uh, what are you saying "no" to?

[x129K 1,393]

Uh, what are you saying "no" to?

Sorry, "No" to the original quaetion; "Is your department ready/equipped to respond to a water rescue"

We have a smallish river in our district and this time of year it gets angry. I could not send my guys into it..we just dont have the equipment/training/manpower to do so. I pray we never are in the situation where we consider it.

[Task Force 7 65]

When I was a Volunteer FF the department I was with was not trained in water rescue. If needed, we would notify the Fort Worth Fire Dept. who has two Swift Water Rescue Teams on duty at all times.

[Guest pattycakes]

Irvington F.D. and Yorktown F.D. both have well trained water rescue teams.

[eric12401 77]

We have the Esopus River as well as a smaller stream/creek running through our district, but aren't trained for water rescues. If need be, Ulster Hose FD and possibly the Ulster County Sheriff's Office are called with their Dive Teams.

[Alpinerunner 61]

Our department is trained in Ice water rescue and open water rescue, but not swift water.

[v85 212]

Same with the FD in my district., Warwick

They have training and equipment for ice and cold water rescue, but not swiftwater.

I believe Port Jervis FD and/or Sparrowbush FD have swift water teams with the Delaware River right there

[Pats12285 0]

Montrose FD also has a water rescue team

[x635 4,066]

I know there are several members of Hartsdale and Fairview who have been trained in swift water rescue, but I'm not sure if they have the equipment besides the basics like rope.

[x635 4,066]

In addition to Fairview members being trained, they also maintain an inflatable boat with SCBA or air from the rig, powered by a motor. They also carry rescue lines, dry suits for four rescuers, and personal floatation devices, amongst other swiftwater equipment.

They have used the boat numerous times over the years, such as the flooding on the Bronx River Parkway and Babbit Court/Saw Mill River, and as requested by other agencies.

Thanks to for the update