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Matanuska-Susitna Borough runs trench rescue technician course for 25 responders
Summary
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough hosted a technician-level trench rescue course run by Advanced Rescue Systems to train and certify about 25 responders in stabilizing deep excavations and conducting subsurface rescues; organizers emphasized that trench rescue is a perishable skill and that past borough incidents motivated the training.
A Department of Emergency Services official said the Matanuska-Susitna Borough convened a trench rescue technician course run by Advanced Rescue Systems to train responders from across the borough in stabilizing deep excavations and conducting subsurface rescues.
The official said the hands-on course brings instructors and equipment to a field training area where participants practice on live trenches. "If you don't stay on top of this perishable skill when the emergency happens, people aren't gonna know what to do," the official said, stressing the need for repeated practice.
The official said trenches in the borough have reached "10 or 15 foot depths" in past incidents, and that excavated soil can behave unpredictably. The official noted industry safeguards such as trench boxes are required for excavations and warned that "if those safety measures aren't followed and followed correctly, correctly, the whole walls would fall in," which can trap workers and make rescues difficult.
Organizers rented an excavator for the week so trainees can work on realistic scenarios. "We're able to get 25 people here to all work together as a group and have instructors," the official said, describing the class as technician level. "At the end of the class, all of these students will be certified trench rescue technicians."
Instructors begin with shallow, low-complexity evolutions and progressively increase the difficulty, the official said, adding that each day builds on the previous one so firefighters and other responders are pushed beyond their comfort zones. The goal, the official said, is for responders across the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to have the knowledge, experience, and equipment to intervene safely and save lives.
The training is an operational preparedness exercise; no formal policy actions, votes, or funding changes were recorded in the transcript. The Department of Emergency Services intends to extend specialty training and resources through the borough to improve response capability.
