F.I.R.S.T. High Angle Rescue and Confined Space Rescue Training

High Angle Rescue Training On Board USS Lexington

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX First In Rescue, Safety and Training or F.I.R.S.T, a safety services company based in Deer Park, Texas, conducted high angle rescue and confined space rescue training for the Houston Fire Department Technical Rescue Team on board the USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier (Ret.) docked in Corpus Christi, Texas. Logan Reininger, Director of Operations for F.I.R.S.T described the training. "We wanted to give the HFD Rescue Team a challenging venue for their training and decide on the USS Lexington. It gives many different scenarios for high angle rescue, repelling and confined space rescue that you can't find at the standard fire department training field. This makes the rescuer have to think out of the box and become more creative when in an emergency situation and some ones life is in the balance. We repelled off the top of the ship, conducted numerous confined space entries, pick-offs and lowers with live patients in the stokes baskets."

The rescue teams were challenged throughout the three day event and admitted to enjoying the cool breeze coming off the Corpus Christi Bay while training on the retired aircraft carrier. "When you compare the cost of a venue like this as opposed to the College Station training field, we have found you get more bang for your buck here when you add in the factor of being in a resort city along the gulf. Most of the rescue teams go to the same, standard training field year after year. At the end of the first day, everyone comments on what a great location the Lexington is for training," Reininger continued.

Another challenging training prop similar to the USS Lexington and closer to the Houston area industrial complex that F.I.R.S.T uses is the USS Battleship Texas. According to Reininger, "The Battleship Texas isn't as big as the Lexington but offers a local venue with as many confined space, high angle and repelling opportunities."

F.I.R.S.T also utilizes the Calcasieu Parish Emergency Response Training Center ( http://www.certc.net ) located just north of Sulphur, Louisiana. "The Calcasieu Training Center is the best industrial fire and rescue training facility for the money in the entire south," Reininger explains. "It is a Department of Homeland Security sponsored facility with a scale model chemical/refining unit for fire training as well as four isolated tanks with cross-over catwalks and hand rails that make rescue scenarios very challenging. The tanks are complete with trays on the inside replicating exactly what a responder would find in a petro-chem facility today."

F.I.R.S.T supplies safety personnel, safety training, rescue training, hole watch/fire watch and stand-by rescue services to industry. " Our safety reps are the best in the business and most are high angle rescue and confined space trained and are EMT's or Paramedics as well. When we say "Experience the Difference," there is a difference and it is in the personnel that we use," Reininger said.

For more information call 281-930-7686 or click http://www.firstcallfirst.com.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• FIRST Safety
• Industrial
• High Angle Rescue
• Fire Fighter Training
• Confined
• Space
• Rescue
• Training