Building Collapse Rescue Training Basic and Advanced

Summertime weather means tornadoes and thunderstorms with straight-line winds. That can mean responding to collapsed structures. The Cottleville (MO) Community Fire Protection District has put together a smooth-running building collapse training simulation with plenty of tips for interested departments. This month, Part 1 of this three-part series covers setting up the simulation, running the search-and-rescue portion of the operation while concentrating on the necessary shoring and reinforcing techniques.

In the second part of our three-part series, the Cottleville (MO) Community Fire Protection District covers the construction phase of our Building Collapse Training. The building of Raker shores are shown and various construction tips provided. The collapse scene is also readied for the search and rescue evolution which will be featured next month.

This month we conclude our three-part series, Collapsed Building Training, with the Cottleville (MO) Community Fire Protection District. In this segment we review the proper personal protective gear for this training, the FEMA marking system, and appropriate search and rescue procedures. These included cribbing and shoring using air bags and jacks and air and haz-mat monitoring.

We begin a multi-part series of Building Collapse Response training at night with the Quincy (IL) Fire Department. In Part 1, we review the scenario and cover the use of a surveyor’s transit to check structure movement, using a field operation guide to help with shoring construction, the cutting station, nail patterns, installing Raker Shores, cribbing, stabilizing and tying in a system of shores for stability.

In the conclusion of this two-part series, we formulate rescue and entry plans to search for survivors. We examine the procedures for using electronic listening devices for finding survivors plus video cameras inserted into the collapse area to see them. The constructing and positioning of T-shores for stabilizing ceilings.