Sandoval County Fire and Rescue completed training exercises in April to prepare for the busy wildfire season. These include the annual wildland training, which is required for all firefighters throughout Sandoval County and the surrounding areas, and the special Rope Rescue Technician training taught by the Rio Grande Basin Heavy Technical Rescue team.
The team is a collaborative project between Sandoval County Fire and Rescue, Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue, and the Corrales Fire Department. The team, which is optional to join, specializes in rope rescue, trench rescue, structural collapse, confined space training, swift water rescue, and search & rescue.
The Signpost spoke with SCFR Batallion Chief Adam Quinn about the most recent Rope Rescue Technician training. Quinn said that the exercises train firefighters and EMS workers to “not only locate, but access, stabilize and then eventually transport the patient back to the vehicle or to the hospital as required.” Many times the rescue team is deployed to situations known as “extended scenes,” which Quinn said usually entail a long drive that might require search as well as rescue. Scenarios firefighters are trained in could be a quick 15-minute trail hike or a rescue that would take several hours.
“We’re able to provide emergency medical services if required [in scenarios] such as somebody falling off a cliff or down a valley or ledge, or they’ve driven their vehicle off an easily accessible roadside,” Quinn said.
Search and rescue can be time-consuming, and Quinn said that in addition to using manpower to find lost or distressed individuals, the Rio Grande Basin Team utilizes drones to help with search and rescue operations. Sandoval County also has a canine team to locate individuals or groups, and in worse-case scenarios, to track human remains.
The annual Wildland trainings are typically held in the spring when New Mexico experiences increased fire hazards. Quinn said that this year, fire departments throughout the state worked alongside New Mexico State Forestry and participated in their first live fire training exercise in years.
Quinn gave The Signpost a safety message for anyone planning to visit the outdoors in Sandoval County. “If you’re going out, make sure you plan and you notify somebody outside of your party when you’ll be back,” says Quinn, “we encourage everybody to pack appropriate food and water and prepare for adverse weather conditions [by] having enough clothing. Pack a lightweight first aid kit [and] use some sort of mapping technology.”
Sandoval County Fire did not have an exact number of wildland fires they were involved in last year, but bringing several agencies together to form the Rio Grande Basin Team and conduct these training exercises is a key step in creating a more coordinated response during search and rescue operations in the county.