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AZ Firefighters training for water rescues |
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Tucson, AZ - Every monsoon, Tucson firefighters brave flooded washes rescuing
stranded pedestrians and motorists. They say it's vital that they
maintain and advance their training techniques.
The Gila River provided Capt. Brian Stevens and his technical rescue teammates practice for swift water rescuing on Monday.
"You may think it's a foot of deep but you can see the way the current is flowing today it only takes a few miles per hour to push your car downstream and get yourself trapped," says Capt. Stevens.
Capt. Stevens says they train for the worst possible scenarios. "Grip dynamics, how to approach a rescue scene. Swift water swimming. How to access victims and just basically work on our techniques and procedures."
Members of the Tucson fire department's technical rescue team get an annual 40 hours of training that involves classrooms, city pools and rushing water. "We're out here just preparing ourselves," says Capt. Stevens. "Making ourselves better prepared to serve the public. And the last thing we want to do is go in, risk ourselves and our people to save somebody."
Tyler Wing
News 4 - Tucson, AZ
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=8643402&nav=HMO6HMaY
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Swiftwater Rescue Headlines 
