PANAMA CITY — Some local firefighters in training spent Tuesday learning the ropes.
Technical Rescue Team instructors hosted their rope rescue course Tuesday afternoon alongside the Panama City Fire Department at the department’s Training Academy.
Officially called Florida Urban Search and Rescue Rope and Confined Space Operations, the course is meant to teach the trainees how to perform high-angle rope and confined space rescues. The firefighters who participated were with the Panama City Fire Department, as well as from departments in Escambia, Walton and Okaloosa counties.
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The trainees learned about multiple different methods and equipment, as well as how to handle different scenarios and hazards they would come across while on the job, said Capt. Roy Albright. He said this training is essential, especially as the firefighters learn how to repel up and down buildings.
“Any building that is over one story presents challenges to us, if we got somebody on the top that may be injured or unable to get down themselves,” Albright said. “Any kind of underground work may contain hazardous atmospheres, to save somebody. This just allows all of these fire departments that have come out and participated in this to be able to better serve the citizens and the visitors of their cities.”
Oscar Vega, a firefighter with the Panama City Fire Department, enjoyed being out with the various firefighters from different departments. He said it meant a lot to work and train with them.
“Being out here, not only are we getting the training, but we get to work with the different departments,” Vega said. “Some of these guys we’re out here with, we might actually end up on a real incident, real emergency with these guys, so getting to work out here, getting to know some people’s names and stuff and to train together, we get more comfortable.”
A lot of the rope equipment is made by those who perform mountain rescues, Albright said. He said it adds a safety factor and allows them to control their descent down, including giving them the ability to store backups in case of failure or emergency.
The course is one of five technical rescue disciplines firefighters need to become state-certified, with the rope portion taking 40 hours in total to complete before they move on to confined spaces. Albright said a lot of the departments offer these certifications and trainings.
“We do it here in the city of Panama City every two years,” Albright said. “We offer all of the courses, not only rope and confined spaces but trench rescue, structural collapse, and VMR machine rescue.”
Vega said he has been able to gain and strengthen a lot of skills while training so far.
“(I’ve gained) a lot of knowledge on ropes and knots, using some of the devices and mechanical devices,” Vega said. “There’s a little bit of math, which was the key to work on, but overall, just getting really comfortable with the systems and things from carrying the trucks and knowing how to use them in real life.”
Vega added that the course was essential to his career and to prepare him for future emergencies going forward.
Albright said since there is a lot more to being a firefighter than simply putting out fires, it’s important that firefighters learn and get comfortable with the equipment and these skills. He added that every situation is different, so it helps to open the trainees’ eyes to every scenario they can encounter.
“Car wrecks, medical calls, hazardous materials, incidents, this just enables us to be able to add that cash of what we can provide,” Albright said. “So, by them coming out and putting their hands on that equipment and training and containing that training, just hone their skills to where they will become better rescuers.”