Twenty-two members of the Derby Storm Ambulance and Rescue Corp. received training recently in trench rescue techniques.
The class included four hours of classroom preparation followed by two full days of practical application of what they learned in the classroom.
Trench rescue initiated by trained emergency workers utilize specialized skills, knowledge and equipment to safely retrieve people who are trapped in things such as construction trenches.
Derby Storms had recently purchased the equipment needed to carry out the work.
The class was taught by Safety Consulting Group Inc. out of Long Island. The instructors were highly-trained members of the New York City Fire Department.
An average of 92 people a year die in what the government classifies as “confined spaces,” which includes trenches, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
“These types of trench accidents do not happen very often, but when they do they are very specialized rescue events and are very time consuming operations,” said Tom Lenart, Jr., assistant chief of the Derby Fire Department.
In addition, the Home Depot in Derby donated $300 worth of tools to assist the ambulance corps in their endeavors.
