Fire departments brush up on technical rescue training

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - While the snow continues to stick around, one group is already preparing for the summer.

Firefighters not only help people during fires, but for other technical rescues.

On Thursday, a group learned how to save someone in the event of a trench collapse.

“If we can get hands-on that is the best-case scenario which I think we are going to be able to do,” said Williston Fire Department Captain Ryan Miller.

Bismarck and Williston Fire Departments dug into learning new technical skills on trench rescues. With construction happening in the summer and many workers going underground the departments wanted to brush up on response efforts.

“If something would happen, if they don’t have the correct safety measures, which is a trench box or any type of cribbing, then a trench could possibly collapse on top of them,” said Bismarck Fire Department Captain Joey Vandervliet.

The Williston Fire Department does not have a technical rescue team. They are trying to start one and couldn’t pass up a learning opportunity.

“We wanted to take advantage and really come and watch and take some notes on how they do things,” said Miller.

The Bismarck Fire Department has never utilized this training in real life.

“Which I hope we never do have to utilize this but we need to be able to be trained at a level to if we are called to help somebody we can actually use these skills that we’ve learned and help people out,” said Vandervliet.

Trench collapses killed 39 US workers in 2022.