Asheville’s firefighters have already trained in high places, including hanging out around the Civic Center rafters. This week, they were down in the trenches.
Wednesday found the Asheville Fire Department conducting trench training at Mountainside Park near Asheville’s Memorial Stadium. In a trench freshly dug by the City of Asheville Water Maintenance division (and refilled after the training was complete), firefighters trained on how to respond to injuries in such a specialized environment, including removing victims and stabilizing trenches in case of collapse.
The AFD also instructed other City of Asheville employees from Public Works, Engineering and Water Maintenance on the techniques used in the event of a trench collapse.
The AFD’s Division Chief of Safety & Training Barry Hendren says the training keeps firefighters tuned in to one of a variety of emergency scenarios.
“The trench skills review is one of the several different technical rescue disciplines that AFD is equipped to respond to,” Hendren said.
Parks and Recreation provided the location for the training. In addition to AFD, several other agencies assisted and participated in the training, including Buncombe County Emergency Management, the Enka Fire Department, and the Weaverville Fire Department.