Firefighters Given Training in River Rescues

Hoping to prepare themselves before tragedy strikes, about 300 Ventura County firefighters have trained over the past 10 days in techniques used to rescue victims from flood-control channels.

The training, part of a new initiative approved by Fire Chief George Lund, is aimed at better preparing firefighters for calls they are already receiving and responding to, Capt. Tom Law said.

“We’re fielding these 911 calls and we’re performing these rescues,” Law said. “The fire chief wants to make sure that we know how to perform them properly.”

About 80% of the department has gone through one of the morning or afternoon sessions, Law said. The final session was conducted Thursday.

The training involves about an hour of classroom instruction, followed by more than two hours of practical experience conducted west of Moorpark where Hitch Boulevard crosses over the Arroyo Simi flood control channel.

“I think the classroom sessions really teach you to respect the power and velocity of even a small amount of water,” Law said. “As little as two feet of water can float a car and take it away.”

Once outdoors, firefighters are shown three rescue techniques used to pull a victim from the flowing waters without themselves having to enter the unpredictable currents.

Strategies include throwing a bag containing a 70-foot rope to a victim, or stringing a 300-foot tension line diagonally across the water or lowering an air-filled fire hose into the water--both aimed at snagging anyone being pulled along against their will.

“These are systems that we set up with a minimum of equipment,” Law said. “It’s not anything exotic, it’s not overly expensive, just basic, common-sense rescue tools.”

Law said all fire engine and truck companies will be issued the equipment used in the training so that they can use what they have learned when responding to calls that can turn deadly without the proper rescue techniques.

“When the taxpayers call 911,” he said, “they’re expecting that the person on the other end of the phone is going to take some action.”