Southwest Wisconsin Regional Technical Rescue Team
Overview

Since fall of 2003, public safety agencies in Grant, Crawford, and Richland counties have partnered together to form a regional technical rescue capability.  In 2008, the partnership will expand to include departments in Lafayette and Iowa Counties as well. 

The concept behind this team is simple.  No single fire department or EMS service has the training or resources to tackle complicated technical rescue scenarios alone.  Challenges such as high-angle rescue, confined space, water rescue, ice rescue, trench rescue, and building collapse rescue all require a substantial amount of time to master.  Most volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel are already overwhelmed by the educational requirements and time commitment required just to be able to fight fires, maintain EMS licensure, and to be proficient in the other more routine aspects of emergency response.  Only a select few individuals from each department are able to make the commitment necessary to maintain proficiency in the advanced technical rescue disciplines.  The technical rescue team brings together those few individuals from each fire or EMS department, offering regular training and educational opportunities to prepare for the most challenging rescue scenarios imaginable.  Working together, our public safety departments are developing capabilities that we never had before.  Together, we are stronger.

When summoned to assist at an emergency scene, the technical rescue group always works within the established local incident command structure, under the oversight of the local incident commander (generally the ranking fire official on scene).  The technical rescue team never "takes over" an emergency scene upon arrival--rather, they are a tool to assist the local jurisdiction's response by providing the specialized equipment and expertise necessary to get the job done.  All technical rescue assistance is provided through interdepartmental mutual aid.

Advanced High/Low Angle Rope Rescue

High/Low angle rope rescue is the foundation upon which all of the other technical rescue disciplines are based.  It is important for all members of a technical rescue team to have a solid understanding of basic rope rescue principles.

High or Low angle rope rescue techniques are used when a victim is injured, isolated, or trapped, and cannot be reached or evacuated by conventional methods.  Our section of the state lends itself to many scenarios where a well-trained high/low angle rope rescue team is necessary.  Of significant concern are areas along the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers, with steep, rocky cliff walls.  This dangerous terrain naturally attracts hikers, climbers, and nature buffs.  Wyalusing and Nelson Dewey State Parks have a variety of areas that would prove a challenge to emergency responders in the event of a rescue.

In spring of 2003, a 17-year old was killed in a fall from Larson’s Bluff, north of Prairie du Chien.  He was the fourth person to fall from this bluff in four years.  In recent years, local public safety agencies have been involved in many searches on steep or difficult terrain, some of which were successful rescues, and some that were fatalities.  In any case, rescue or recovery attempts at the base of these bluffs are a challenge for our emergency responders, who lack the equipment and technical knowledge to conduct such rescues properly and safely.  The technical rescue team will be available to serve as a resource to assist with searches on difficult terrain, and more importantly, to use their expertise and equipment to safely and effectively evacuate victims from dangerous or inaccessible areas. 

Other possible scenarios that may require high-angle rope rescue capability include the many radio and telecommunication towers that are necessary in this terrain, water towers, and bridges throughout the three counties.  The new power generating wind turbines near Montfort, which undergo a constant maintenance program, could also pose a significant challenge to local emergency responders.  It is relatively common for a worker, following the exerting climb up a high structure like a tower or wind turbine, to experience chest pain or cardiac problems, and not be able to make his own descent. 

Confined Space Rescue
 

Removing an unconscious victim from a silo and safely lowering them to the ground can be one of the greatest challenges a rural emergency responder will ever face.  Technical Rescue Team Members will practice scenarios like this on a regular basis to maintain their proficiency.

Confined space rescue operations rely heavily upon the capabilities of the high/low angle rope rescue team, but also require additional specialized equipment to operate in tight spaces or shafts.  There are many possible scenarios that necessitate our team to have confined space rescue capabilities.  One likely confined space situation in our region could involve a farmer, who after harvesting corn enters the silo to level off the silage, and is subsequently overcome by silo gas.  A confined space entry team would need to enter the silo with breathing apparatus, safely package the victim to be hoisted out of the silo, and lower the victim to the ground.   This type of rescue can be extremely dangerous for rescuers and victims alike, and requires a great deal of knowledge, training, and practice to conduct safely. 

Abandoned mines throughout the region also pose significant challenges for local emergency responders.  In the early to mid 1800’s, settlers flocked to southwestern Wisconsin, and Grant County in particular, to “make it rich quick” in the lead mining industry.  There are hundreds of abandoned mines sitting vacant beneath farm fields, and even bordering on cities.  Montfort and Platteville both have mine tunnels and shafts that occasionally collapse, dragging parts of homes, city parks, and animals beneath the surface.  To add to this hazard, the mines have been known to fill with rainwater, creating underground cavities of water that occasionally open to the surface.  A large number of air shafts also still exist in these highly mined areas.  Many of these openings are exposed, obscured only by weeds and brush, and accessible to curious children. 

Public works projects, construction projects, industry and manufacturing also lend a multitude of scenarios where our team could be needed.  Just as importantly, confined space and rope rescue training serves as an important foundation for advanced level rescue training.  Water rescue, trench rescue, and structural collapse rescue all rely on a solid knowledge of rigging and confined space operations.

Trench Rescue
 

Emergency Responders must quickly set up bracing materials such as lumber, screw jacks, and hydraulic struts to properly stabilize trenches before entering.

Trench Rescue and Structural Collapse Rescue are very similar disciplines, relying on heavy duty rescue equipment and sound engineering practices to make difficult rescues as safe as possible for victims and emergency responders. 

Workers enter trenches on a daily basis, constructing and maintaining municipal sewer and water systems, telecommunications lines, power, cable, and gas.  Many workers disregard safety regulations calling for proper shoring and support structures to be in place when they are working in the trench.  Others may incorrectly install safety shoring, leaving it vulnerable to collapse.  A single cubic foot of dirt can weigh as much as 145 pounds, and a typical small cave-in involves about 1.5 cubic yards of dirt, or approximately 4,000 pounds.  The extreme forces involved in trench shoring make it a very dangerous and delicate process.

In December of 2001, emergency responders were called to a collapse site in the Village of Bagley, where a construction worker installing a residential sewer line was buried up to his chest when a portion of a trench wall caved in.  Since there is no trench rescue capability in our area, emergency responders had no choice but to enter the unstable trench, at great risk to themselves.  Luckily, no emergency responders were injured, and the victim survived his injuries as well.  History tells us that 65% of all deaths from trench cave-ins are of would-be rescuers, underscoring the need for specialized equipment and training in this discipline. 

Structural Collapse Rescue
 

In February 2003, the roof of a Toys “R” Us in Lanham Maryland collapsed due to a heavy snow load followed by rain.  This is a very possible scenario in Grant County, which would require specialized resources and training to make a structure safe enough to enter to search for survivors or to free trapped persons from the rubble.

Structural Collapse Rescue could be necessitated by a tornado, high winds, heavy snow load on a commercial building, an act of terrorism, or a construction accident.  On November 3, 1965, sixteen people were injured, 3 critically, during the construction of Ottensmen Hall on the University of Wisconsin—Platteville campus.  Workers were pouring cement when the concrete and steel building frame suddenly collapsed.  The rescue effort went into the evening hours, but all victims were eventually freed from the rubble.  Amazingly, nobody was killed in the accident.  However, the potential for similar occurrences will always exist throughout our jurisdiction, and we need to have a basic capability to respond to these incidents.   Recent natural gas explosions in Richland County and tornadoes throughout the state of Wisconsin have shown a need for fire departments to have the basic capability to stabilize damaged structures so that they are safe enough to enter to search for and potentially rescue victims. 

Also of interest is the New Madrid Fault, which is centered in northern Missouri and continues to be active today.  Although quakes felt in this part of Wisconsin in the last 100 years have been only minor tremors, in the early 1800’s, a series of much stronger earthquakes took place along this system.   With the occurrence of a larger earthquake, the potential exists for significant tremors to reach to southern Wisconsin.  Since buildings in this region are not constructed to withstand earthquakes, there is a possibility that some structures may not endure even moderate tremors.

With facilities such as UW-Platteville, the many commercial shopping centers throughout both counties, the large industrial facilities along the Mississippi River, and the aging downtown buildings in many of our communities, having a team with collapse rescue capability makes sense. 

Swiftwater and Ice Rescue
 

The hilly terrain in Southwestern Wisconsin makes us highly susceptible to flash flooding, as illustrated by this picture of downtown Glen Haven during the 1993 Flash Flood.  Performing a rescue in such an environment can be extremely dangerous, and having proper equipment on hand is a must!

In summer of 2005, a division of the technical rescue team will certify in advanced water rescue.  The team’s swiftwater component will perform rescue operations in hazardous or fast moving water, based from the shore, from watercraft, or on ice.  They will respond to incidents at the request of local fire departments, to offer specialized advice, equipment, and rope-rigging capabilities.  They will operate in conjunction with the existing Crawford-Grant Dive Unit.  

Water rescue and drowning calls are growing increasingly common in this area, and the formation of such a team has been long overdue.  There have been ten lives lost in drowning accidents in Crawford and Grant counties since 1999, most of which have occurred on the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers.

The hilly terrain of this region makes it very susceptible to flooding.  Grant and Crawford counties both received presidential disaster declarations in 2000 and 2001 for riverine flooding and flash flooding, both of which can present highly dangerous rescue scenarios for emergency responders.  Another flash flood in summer of 2002 ripped through the Cassville area, killing livestock, floating cars away, severely damaging houses, and trapping residents in their homes until they could be evacuated by boat.

One particular area of concern is the Kickapoo River Valley in the area of Soldiers Grove, Gays Mills and Steuben, which experiences flash flooding and dangerously swift currents regularly.  Another flash flooding concern is the entire downtown area of Glen Haven, where in 1993, six cars were swept off of Main Street and into the Mississippi River (one of which still has not been found).  Beetown, Blue River, Paris, and a handful of other Grant County townships all have areas that are prone to dangerous flash flooding.

The Mississippi River also presents a formidable challenge to emergency responders, especially when operating near any of the locks & dams (which in the team’s primary response area includes Lynxville, Guttenberg, and Dubuque).  In summer of 2003, emergency responders’ capabilities were tested when one not-so-smart recreational boater, at the urging of his passengers, tried to jump a boat over the Guttenberg dam spillway.  Needless to say, they failed in their attempt, and the boat plummeted over the dam and rolled, leaving the passengers caught in the swift undercurrent below the dam.  (What is really amazing is that this is not the first time somebody tried this!).  Public safety responders from both sides of the river, none of whom were trained in swiftwater rescue, were dispatched to rescue the victims, who were eventually brought to shore and transported to the hospital for treatment of their injuries.  Luckily, rope rescue techniques were not necessary and no emergency responders were hurt during this incident, but departments in our area lack the technical equipment, training, and practice necessary to conduct these sort of water rescues safely.

Also of great concern is Ice Rescue.  When a victim falls through thin ice, it is usually impossible for them to pull themselves back up on to the slippery, unstable edge without assistance.  Members of the technical rescue group conduct ice rescue training several times annually, and maintain specialized equipment and protective wear for these types of emergencies.

Terrorism and Domestic Preparedness

Having a technical rescue team in place will greatly improve our area’s capability to respond to challenges that we are presently ill prepared to handle.  Although it is more likely that we will be called to respond to a silo rescue or a trench collapse than to a terrorist bombing, the core training and equipment needed for both of these situations is very similar.  Make no mistake; this will be a fully-functional technical rescue team, trained to appropriate standards and available to respond to any situation requiring these specialized services, including incidences of terrorism.  That is the most important capability of a technical rescue team—the ability to adapt the techniques that they have practiced and the equipment that they possess to address the specific situation that they are called to.
 

Instructor Dan “Kaz” Kazmerski teaches team members to rig a basket stretcher for high-angle evacuation at the Lancaster Fire Station in May 2004.

Technical Rescue Team members practice rigging high angle raise and lower systems as a part of their initial rope rescue technician training in May 2004.  Whether responding to a wilderness call, a tower rescue, or a structural collapse, a strong working knowledge of rope rescue techniques is a must.