July 18, 2012 Vol. 91 No. 29
Hazelwood firefighters are chosen to handle high-angle rescues for I-70 Blanchette Bridge construction.
Preparation
IN this Issue
The Hazelwood Fire Department, in its capacity as a fully trained high-angle rescue response team, will be among the first to respond to any high-angle accidents that may occur during the twoyear construction of the I-70 Blanchette Bridge. Hazelwood, along with Maryland Heights and Eureka, are the only municipalities in St. Louis County with fire departments that maintain this level of training certification and equipment support. “Since construction on the westbound I-70 Blachette Bridge is expected to begin November 1, Hazelwood firefighters have been participating in planning meetings with all agencies involved and will be performing hands-on training evolutions at the bridge,” said Hazelwood Fire Chief Dave Radel. After closure of the westbound lanes, the Hazelwood firefighters will have a 30day window to practice high-angle rescue operations from the bridge before the project begins. “It’s always good to know how much rope you need, and what supports you’ll use,” Radel said. “The guys working on the bridge are trained in high angle work and self-rescue. They’re all harnessed and have safety lines. But things happen. And then you’ve always got the people who are drawn to these types of construction projects and will go out there and get in trouble.” All members of the Hazelwood Fire Department completed a course in the ROCO training program, which is designed to give firefighters the tools and skills needed to manage a rescue from a high-angle position such as a commercial building rooftop or a confined space like a holding tank or deep culvert. Not only did the class provide a complete refresher course for those who may have done it before, but also it offered up-to-speed training for new recruits for certification purposes. According to Radel, “We brought in a professional trainer with ‘chief instructor’ status from the ROCO Rescue Company to complete the training for our department. We used someone who has worked with our firefighters in the past named Keith Shields. He is a consummate proAround Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Photo courtesy of the Hazelwood Fire Department
fessional and works well with our group.” Shields is a battalion chief who works for a municipal fire department near Vancouver, BC, Canada. He is a highly trained individual since technical rescues are common place in his area where there is rough mountainous terrain. While off-duty, he serves as an instructor for the ROCO Rescue Company training firefighters and rescuers all over North America. Shields conducted four 10hour training days for each of the three Hazelwood crews to complete their certification requirements. One of the scenarios they practiced involved having firefighters repel down the side of a building from the rooftop to rescue a simulated victim. They made sure the victim was secured in the rescue basket and then either hoisted the person up or down to safety using the aerial apparatus of a fire truck. “This type of training on a much larger scale will be needed, if the situation arises, for high-angle rescues from the bridge platform down to the river surface,” Radel said. Radel praised the Pattonville Fire Protection District, the district in which the Learn & Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Pet Apdoption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
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Blanchette Bridge is located. “Pattonville is doing a tremendous amount of pre-planning,” he said. “They, along with the City of St. Charles Fire Protection District, are lining everything up. The westbound lanes will be closed,
and if there’s a car fire on the eastbound lanes, St. Charles ability to respond to that will be nonexistent, so Pattonville will respond. They are also planning with their boat rescue teams, but anywhere from the top of the bridge to the water is ours.”
Movie Talk
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Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Joe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Shelly Schneider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
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