Only on 3: Search and Rescue Training with Riverside Co. Fire Department

The sun sets on the Colorado River near Blythe and near two dozen fire fighters are still out training. They’ve spent all week learning water rescue techniques. Now they’re going to put everything they’ve learned to the test with an evening search and rescue exercise.

“You don’t have your depth. when your looking with lights you can only go so far. Verses at daytime if we were just to stagger our victims out it doesn’t allow them to use their appropriate search techniques,” said Mark Bruan, a Riverside County Fire Department instructor.

Fire fighters are broken up into three groups. A team to search each side on river and a team that floats down the river looking for victims.

Normally there are designated search and rescue teams but during large scale searches, fire fighters are called into help.

Riverbank teams start by spreading themselves out evenly from the waters edge. They use long poles to help them search the terrain.

Occasionally fire fighters wonder off during their search. It’s a challenge for group leaders to keep their team together.

“They overlooked articles or items or things that portray a victim. And if they start falling outside their group, they’ll oversee it,” said Bruan.

Clues like clothing items give crews an idea of what happened and where the victims might be. Instructors played the victims and teams questioned them to find the others.

David Harker from Riverside County Fire Department’s Indian Wells station describes the questioning process.

“If he felt he was one of the first people out of the water, which he indicated that so we knew pretty much he was going to be our first victim and everybody else was going to be further downwater,” said Harker.

According to Bruan, the exercise tests the teams communication skills.

“As operations is tallying all that down and writing it all down and then he relays that back to either the hasty group or river right or river left who doesn’t have the information, it helps them find who they’re looking for,” said Bruan.

The crews go out with a goal and a 45 minute time limit. The clock is ticking especially during an emergency. Instructors said the group did well and found everything they needed to. While the most fire fighters won’t be a part of search and rescue teams, according to instructors say it gives them confidence. Confidence that they’ll carry with them during an emergency.