In today’s world, in which the fire department gets called to almost everything and anything, its members must be prepared to handle any kind of rescue scenario. Selected by an application process, Lufkin Fire Department Chief Ted Lovett and Capt. Dustin Ledford recently participated in a week-long course on special operations program management at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md. Funded by FEMA through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the course consisted of various team management skills of special operations disciplines including hazardous materials, swift water,...

COLONIAL HEIGHTS – Rescue crews from throughout the state came to Central Virginia this week to participate in the Rescue Challenge. The first rescue challenge was held in May 1995, an invitation-only event to six departments from throughout the state. Since that time, additional teams have been invited to the event, and last year’s event saw 10 teams representing 23 organizations competing. The challenge is designed to test each team’s technical and organizational skills as well as to foster networking between them. The events give rescuers a chance to exchange ideas as...

GRAND RAPIDS — A 37-year-old woman suffered a leg injury after she fell 12 feet down an open manhole, requiring firefighters to mount a “technical rescue” to rescuer her. The accident happened about 11:40 p.m. Monday in an alley in the 800 block of Innes Street NE, near Eastern Avenue.  Grand Rapids Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Salatka said authorities called for the department’s “confined space rescue team” to handle the incident.  Police were investigating why the manhole cover was missing. Rescuers set up a tripod above the manhole and used harness system...

Elderly collie slips into a 150-foot pipe on a slope below Two Tanks Fire Road on Wednesday, and a Southern Marin Fire technician goes in and gets her out.   new   Southern Marin firefighter Ryan Tokuda retrieves Sierra, an elderly collie, from a drainage pipe near the Two Tanks Fire Road on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Courtesy Erin Clark Photos Credit Courtesy Erin Clark Credit James Reis/Marin Humane Society Credit James Reis/Marin Humane Society Credit James Reis/Marin Humane Society Credit James Reis/Marin Humane Society For about three hours Wednesday, Erin...

CUMBERLAND — It wasn’t an emergency response but the Cumberland Fire Department’s specially trained Confined Space Rescue Team was put to the test Wednesday at a commercial construction site. A commercial project at Industrial Boulevard near Third Street brought the team and a Cumberland Fire Department ambulance to the scene at about 11:15 a.m. Units remained for more than two hours.  “This is the Confined Space Rescue Team’s first response in a while. Other than yearly training, this is an actual incident response although there was no emergency,” said Fire Chief Donnie Dunn....

NIOSH: Lack of confined space procedures factored in LODD Firefighter John Kelly died after being overcome by low oxygen and sewer gases while attempting to rescue utility worker from sewer manhole near firehouse By Sarah M. Smart FireRescue1 Staff TARRYTOWN, N.Y — A N.Y. volunteer firefighter died because of unrecognized hazards involved with a confined space rescue, according to a NIOSH report. The manhole that firefighter entered attempting to rescue the utility worker was behind the firehouse. A lack of standard operating procedures and an ineffective incident-management system for...