Fame Members Participate in Rescue Task Force Exercise
 
By Watchdesk
May 10, 2024
 

The Chester County Rescue Task Force held a full-scale exercise on Friday evening, May 10 starting at 7:00pm and finishing around 12:30am the following morning. 15 Fame collapse rescue technicians, technical search specialists and collapse rescue operations personnel worked alongside colleagues from East Whiteland Fire Company and Lionville Fire Company at a simulated severe weather event that severely damaged several structures trapping victims within. Three Squads were assigned to operate at three separate scenarios. Each squad needed to install emergency temporary shoring before they could begin to access their respective scenes. Heavy concrete breaching and breaking as well as confined space torch work was also required to access and extricate some of the “victims”. Our technical search specialists performed wide area and focused technical searches at several scenes. They utilized the Delsar Life Detectors and various search cameras carried by Rescue and Collapse 53. Four of our most senior technicians managed the Logistics Area for the exercise.

The purpose of the exercise was to test the resilience and operational capabilities of the team. The exercise was tremendously successful and helped sharpen our skills for these low-frequency high-risk events.
 
Units: Rescue 53, Utility 53-1 and TRT 53-1; Utility 53-2 and TRT 53-2; Assistant 53 and Chief 53
 
Crews receiving a briefing and their Squad assignments
Crews receiving a briefing and their Squad assignments
Logistics Area being setup.
Logistics Area being setup.
 
No Caption
Rescue 53 provided lighting, equipment and power to the two Squads working this collapse scenario.
Rescue 53 provided lighting, equipment and power to the two Squads working this collapse scenario.
 
Cut station located and supported by the Logistics Squad
Cut station located and supported by the Logistics Squad
Squad in the process of removing a “victim”
Squad in the process of removing a “victim”
 
Temporary emergency shoring installed. Crews were required to install additional shoring inside the building so they could safely make the rescue of “victims” still trapped inside.
Temporary emergency shoring installed. Crews were required to install additional shoring inside the building so they could safely make the rescue of “victims” still trapped inside.