If you happened to notice North Vancouver firefighters dangling from a high place any time during the last month, there’s a good chance they were in training for the real deal.
District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services recently wrapped up its 12-day rope rescue training program, which entailed a highly technical level of training on the various aspects of rescue scenarios firefighters may encounter, according to Conrad Breakey, the department’s captain of public safety.
Firefighters spent days training at the District of North Vancouver’s firefighter training centre, Lynn Canyon, Capilano River, as well as a number of tower cranes located around North Vancouver.
“Building on our regular work of lowering rescuers and then raising them back up (possibly with a patient), this training included high lines and traverses, confined space, plus tower crane rescues which are especially challenging due to access and limited space,” stated Breakey, in an emailed statement. “This high level of training allows our instructors to fine tune their skills and in turn bring them back to the rest of our members.”
The department’s tech rescue training usually occurs in the late spring and early summer, just ahead of their busy rescue season, according to Breakey.
