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Show ' j ( ) -. , t ,. I ,w ' W . y Volunteer firefighters, EMTs and Search and Rescue personnel took part in a three-day training on high angle rescue, sponsored by the Utah Fire and Rescue Academy. Students scent over eight TROPIC Garfield County emergency personnel took time out of their busy schedules last weekend to complete a Utah Fire and Rescue hours on Saturday hiking and rappelling, learning the proper way to lower and raise rescuers, litters and stranded visitors in the back country areas of Garfield County. County Emergency Personnel Take Part In Three-Day Rope Rescue Training Academy Rope Rescue training course in Tropic. "I'm pleased with the response we got," said Ron Harris, Tropic volunteer fire fighter who helped to organize the training. "The training is very flexible and can be used in many different emergency situation that we come across, such as car accidents, falls, and high-angle rescues." Corey Childs and Jim Crystal with the Utah Fire and Rescue Academy taught the three-day course to volunteer firefighters, EMT's, and Search and Rescue personnel from Escalante, Panguitch and Bryce Valley. Childs and Crystal also work with the Utah County Search and Rescue team and are associated with the National Search and Rescue registry. Tropic volunteer firefighters expressed a need for the training to the county and were told to approach Kate Cannon for the funds, who in turn helped to secure the funding through impact moneys from the new Grand Staircase- (See ROPE RESCUE on Page 5-A) ROPE RESCUE From Front Page Escalante National Monument. Garfield County now has a working agreement with Kane County to help with search and rescue operations on the monument below the Cannonville area and will also assist National Park Service personnel in rescues in Bryce Canyon and in the Escalante area, as well as in Forest Service areas all over the county. Equipment was bought through the Tropic Fire Department and one pack was dispersed to Panguitch Fire Department volunteers to help aid them in rescues. Students learned how to execute low and high angle rescues using appropriate knots, equipment, rigging styles and safety guidelines. They also had a better understanding of rescue load theory, safety factors in rescue, rigging litters, anchors, belaying techniques, Swiss seat harnesses, self-equalizing anchors, lowering systems, rope fundamentals and other safety considerations. The first two days of training were spent at the fire station in Tropic preparing to actually execute a high angle rescue. Students broke into groups and helped each other rig different systems which would aid them in rescue. They practiced belaying techniques, knot tying skills and mechanical advantages. On Saturday, the group spent over eight hours east of Tropic putting their skills to the test. Students spent the day lowering rescuers off cliffs and learning to work together to bring them and a litter back to the top. Additional training is being planned for basic and advanced rescue in the future through the Tropic Volunteer Fire Department. Tropic firefighters are also planning to bring five training trailers from northern Utah in September to be used for additional firefighter training and encourage other county agencies to participate in the courses. Volunteers who participated in the training were from the Panguitch Fire Department, Tropic Fire Department, Bryce Valley EMT's, Panguitch EMT's, Hatch area EMT's, and the Garfield County Sheriffs Office. They were, from Panguitch and Hatch, Mack Oetting, Justin Hatch, Bradley Cole, Jackson Prince, Bob McCullough, Casey McCullough, Gary Leach, Russell Bulkley, and Neal Barton. From Bryce Valley, Steve Hatch, Ron Harris, Susan Harris, Deanna Patterson, Keith Patterson, Travis LeFevre, Kerry Alvey, Moyle Johnson, Adam Bales, Rebecca Bales, Brady Syrett, Mike Ahlstrom, Gayle Pollock, and Eric Syrett; and from Escalante, Monte Luker. |