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Sedgwick County firefighter outlines technical-rescue training needs for large facilities
Summary
Lieutenant Nathan Held of Sedgwick County Fire described the technical-rescue capabilities at Station 32 and the training challenges posed by large, million-plus-square-foot facilities during a public comment at a county meeting.
Lieutenant Nathan Held of Sedgwick County Fire told a county meeting that Station 32 in Park City covers the north end of Sedgwick County and serves as the department's technical-rescue team. "We are also the technical rescue team," Held said, listing disciplines that include scuba and swift-water rescue, high-angle rope rescue, elevator rescue, structural collapse, trench rescue and confined-space rescue.
Held said the station's service area includes very large industrial and commercial buildings that present operational challenges for firefighters. "We have a lot of million plus square foot facilities where we're having to hump hose for hundreds and hundreds of feet before we can get to wherever the incident is," he said, noting that those distances require additional training and equipment considerations.
Held described a range of technical-rescue skills his crew trains on to maintain readiness. He said Station 32 responds to fire, rescue and EMS incidents in addition to technical-rescue calls. The remarks came during the meeting's public-comment portion; no formal action or vote on funding, staffing or equipment was recorded during the transcript excerpt.
The comments underline local operational considerations for first responders serving large warehouses and industrial sites, including extended hose lays and specialized rescue techniques. County officials did not announce any next steps in the provided transcript excerpt.
