Jan. 25--Mayodan residents driving by town hall and the police department Sunday were surprised by what appeared to be rescue operations in progress at the rear of the building.
Several emergency vehicles, including the aerial platform truck from Madison Fire Department, filled the parking lot behind town hall and a part of 3rd Ave. was blocked by yellow emergency tape. Rescue squad members from across the county and state stood around the radio tower next to the police station, most laden down with heavy ropes and climbing gear.
Those rescue squad members were participating in a pilot program on tower rescue procedures presented by instructors from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
OSFM instructor Carnie Hedgepeth said last weekend's two-day training session in Rockingham County was the fifth of six scheduled classes in the pilot program. The training materials for the classes were based on instructional standards from the National Fire Protection Association, but Hedgepeth said OSFM liked to tweak the courses to make them as effective as possible.
"If all goes well, this tower rescue course will become certification ready around April of this year," Hedgepeth said. "But these guys are getting a head start on that timeline and will get their certifications as soon as the program is approved."
Hedgepeth, who works in research and program development at OSFM in Raleigh, said all of the students in last weekend's course already possessed technical training in emergency and rescue operations. Many of the students were taking the additional training to be able to provide instruction to rescue squads in their own areas of the state.
"Handling rescue operations in situations with very limited access like cell and transmission towers requires advanced training and understanding of the dangers involved with those special circumstances," Hedgepeth said. "Trying to perform those operations without the proper training can put the rescue personnel in as much danger as the victim."
Hedgepeth said he and other instructors assisting with last weekend's training simply provided scenarios for the rescue exercises and let the students design and carry out their own rescue operations.
"That way, they utilize their own equipment and learn how to perform rescues with whatever they have on hand," he said. "We're here to provide instruction, answer questions and make sure everything is done following proper safety protocols."
Casey Arthur, a shift captain with the Atlantic Beach Fire Department, worked last weekend as one of the instructors for the pilot program. Arthur said the course concentrated on safety, from teaching different ways to climb to making sure multiple safety lines were in place at all times.
"It's important to concentrate on maintaining balance when climbing something as dangerous as a tower," Arthur said. "It's a matter of keeping the proper center of gravity and not overusing your arms. When the arms are overused and get too weak, it makes it difficult to keep balanced and puts the climber in jeopardy."
Mayodan firefighter Cliff Ellington was on hand Sunday to add his expertise. Ellington said he became certified in high-angle rescue after witnessing the rescue of a worker off a water tower in Madison several years ago.
"I just knew afterward that it was something I wanted to do," Ellington said.
Vince Marks, a Madison firefighter, was the high-angle rescue specialist that led the rescue that day. Ellington said Marks took him to Stone Mountain and taught him about repelling and using ropes for rescue. Ellington soon became certified in high-angle rescue operations like his mentor, Marks.
"You never know when someone working on a tower or tank could have a heart attack or some other disabling problem and be trapped far above the ground," Ellington said. "That's why it's important to have people certified to handle those rescues available with as many rescue squads as possible. It could cost someone's life to have to wait hours for someone to come from another location to handle the rescue."
Madison-Rockingham Rescue Squad Chief Rusty Gray said the local squad was already in the process of developing a ropes rescue team for the county. The squad has purchased and is outfitting a trailer specifically dedicated to high-angle, tower and rope rescue operations.
"Now we're working on getting as many people certified to handle the rescues as possible," Gray said.
Copyright 2012 - The Reidsville Review, N.C.
