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March 14, 2005
Shelley Szafraniec, APR
Community Information Specialist
LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS PARTICIPATE IN TRENCH / EXCAVATION COLLAPSE TRAINING
In
a county and city cooperative effort, approximately 45 firefighters
representing Volusia County, Deltona, Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach
recently participated in a trench / excavation collapse class at the
Volusia County Fire Services Training Center in Daytona Beach.
According to Deputy Chief Kathy Weaver, Volusia County Fire Services Technical Rescue Team Manager, this was the first time this course was offered in Volusia County.
“We were able to negotiate with Central Florida Fire Academy to provide instructors who would travel to our area to offer this course,” said Weaver.
The training brings the county’s three Urban Search and Rescue teams one step closer to a Type IV status by completing four of the five specialized areas of USAR training.
Participants
learned techniques necessary to operate safely and effectively at
excavation emergencies involving a collapse of a nonintersecting trench
with an initial depth of eight feet or less. “With the current road and
drainage projects occurring in Volusia County, this training is critical
for the teams, not only to meet the state criteria, but also to be ready
should we need to respond to a trench emergency,” said Weaver.
The
three teams, Volusia County, Deltona and the Daytona Beach/Ormond Beach,
have signed agreements with the state to have six USAR trained personnel
on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week who can respond within Volusia
County to specialized rescue emergencies. These emergencies can include
rope rescues, confined space emergencies, vehicle/machinery rescue,
trench rescue and building collapse.
According to Weaver, Volusia County has three Type IV USAR teams available to respond, and it is the county’s goal to continue to work with the city fire agencies on specialized rescue emergencies.
“Volusia
County consists of 1,207 square miles, with one north south interstate
along the eastern side (Interstate 95) and one southwest to northeast
interstate (Interstate 4) dissecting the county,” she said. “Travel to
the northwestern and central parts of the county are predominately
two-lane county or state roadways and can take time to reach some of
these areas for a Type IV response team. With three teams available,
quick access to these outlying areas is improved, as these teams are
available in the eastern and western areas of the county.”
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Volusia County, Florida.