Firefighters participate in trench rescue training

WARRICK COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT)- Firefighters from around the Tri-State are in Warrick County getting hands-on training to be prepared for any emergency. 26 firefighters from Ohio Township, Boonville, and Owensboro spent this week learning skills to become certified for trench rescues.

“Our goal is when we get called to one of these incidents is to be able to stop the process and stop whatever is happening from getting worse and be able to safely get in and remove the victim without causing any more harm,” says Chris Wagner, the Ohio Township Fire Department Battalion Chief.

Firefighters say this type of training is necessary, especially with Chandler installing a water main stretching from the river to the town.

“They have anywhere from 50 to 200 feet of open trench a day and that is really what spurred his project for us,” Wagner says.

The Ohio Township Fire Department is hosting the the training, which moved to Vann Road today for firefighters to put classroom instruction to use.

“They have got a suspended utility that is in there that is not supported, and they had to learn how to capture it,” says Steven Byers, the Boonville Fire Chief.

Firefighters stabilized the ground with wood panels to keep dirt from falling.

“There are all kinds of parameters in place and rules about how far the spacing and distance is,” says Ted Johnston, a Lieutenant with the Owensboro Fire Department.

Firefighters say the difference between life and death comes down to three things: weather conditions, the type of soil, and equipment working properly.

“It is labor intensive. It takes a lot of resources to set up one of these incidents. So again, the training together and being able to get those resources on the scene quickly and deploy that equipment gives the person a better chance of survival,” Byers says.

The training exercises continue Friday, with a mock scenario.

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