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Water Rescue Team

• Swift-water Rescue Operations
• Swift-water Rescue Technician
• Swift-water Rescue Boat Operators

The Jefferson County Water Rescue Team is comprised of firefighters from several Suburban Fire Districts. Their mission is to provide for the rescue of victims who are unable of self rescue from water emergencies involving moving water, wide spread flooding, or searches in streams along rivers or even man made retention/detention basins. Surface ice rescues are another occasional hazard that the team is capable of responding to.
 

Capabilities

All team members are trained to at least the operations level, however most are certified to the technician level.  Water rescue technicians also become certified as boat operators in order to maintain their operational readiness for any rescue operation they are needed at.  The team operates two rescue boats owned by the Jefferson County Fire Service, and the Harrods Creek and Pleasure Ridge Park fire districts have their own boats since their district includes direct access to the Ohio River and major streams that feed into the river.  Floods are common along those areas due to rain events that swell the creeks and river annually.  Also, the large number of pleasure boaters that hit the river during the year create the need for a water rescue component in addition to basic fire response and rescue operations.

Swift Water Operations

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an organization which develops codes and standards in all areas of fire-rescue. Our special operations teams choose to follow the NFPA's standards in order to increase effectiveness and define our safety requirements for operations. The NFPA Standards that cover fire-rescue operations and qualifications of rescuers are NFPA 1670 and NFPA 1006.

 

Swift Water Technicians

Most of our team members are trained to the technician level and have responded to flooding in other regions including New Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina.  Once activated by our State EMA office the team deploys wherever they are needed to assist in rescue or search operations.  The team has received numerous awards and
 

Boat Operations

One of the most versatile tools in the water rescue technicians cache is the boat or Rigid-hull Inflatable Boat (RIB).  It can be used to access victims who are in remote areas or in open water.  It can be used to tow a rescue sled, or search a larger area than a rescue swimmer, and act as a platform to assist in the search of a stream or river bank for lost or missing persons.  Boat operators are trained to use the boats capabilities as a tool to pull a victim or rescuer into the boat or to flip the boat while simultaneously pulling an operator back into a capsized boat.  Boats extend the rescuers operational periods by limiting their exposure to cold or rough water.

Photos from Hurricane Katrina Pre-Deployment Preparations

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Copyright © 2008 Jefferson County Fire Service
Last modified: 03/16/08