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Emergency Rescue Training Information
by Jennifer Wiginton
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Overview
Emergency rescue teams serve a vital function for communities following disasters---locating and rescuing survivors. Their team members maintain their abilities to rescue the largest number of people by completing annual training requirements.
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Positions
Emergency rescue teams include experts in firefighting, medicine, canine handling, heavy equipment operation, technical information, structural engineering, logistics, communications and hazardous materials.
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Requirements
Team members must meet specific training requirements to join the team---such as critical incident stress management, respirator training and a fit test---then obtain annual training both within and across their specialties. For example, all Texas Task Force I members complete over 90 training hours each year and canine handlers complete more than 250 additional training hours with their dogs.
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Topics
Annual training hours may be obtained in a wide variety of topics, including collapse rescue operations, advanced structural collapse, swift-water rescue, disaster technical search specialist, logistics, disaster canine specialist and wilderness survival.
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Sites
Emergency rescue training can be received at local fire departments, commercial training facilities and training sites specific to emergency rescue operations, such as Disaster City in College Station, Texas.
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Funding
Emergency rescue teams organized through the Federal Emergency Management Administration receive funds from the Department of Homeland Security to attend training and help maintain their equipment.
