Orange Rural Fire Department staff participated in three days of Trench Rescue Drills to sharpen their skills and build on the teamwork needed to handle a Trench Rescue response. As part of the Orange County Special Operations Team, our personnel responded to three seperate simulated trench collapse scenarios. The drills were hosted by Carrboro Fire and Rescue and were held in the Orange Grove Fire District. Personnel from every fire, EMS and rescue agency in the county came together to carry out the tasks needed to recover a victim from three seperate trench rescue scenarios. Each drill required personnel to utilize different equipment and tactics in order to successfully complete the exercise.
Many of the specialty rescue service needs are labor intensive and expensive to fund so departments throughout Orange County along with guidance and support from Orange County Emergency Services have developed a county wide response team to address them. The Orange County Special Operations Team has been in existance for about 12 months. Initially, the team has focused on Trench Rescue but the hopes are to develop more specialized capabilities that will address the needs identified through risk assessments completed by Orange County Emergency Services.
Collaboration and coordinated efforts are just some of the ways that your emergency services agencies work together to serve all of the citizens and visitors to the towns and county. If you would like to learn more about the Special Operations Team or other efforts made by emergency services agencies in Orange County, give us a call or stop by your local fire or EMS station.
