Protecting the First Responders

BY JASON LOUTHAN

WATER HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CRUCIAL FRIEND IN DEALING WITH FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS, BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT WATER TURNS AGAINST YOU? AS EMERGENCY RESPONDERS, FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO MEDICAL, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND TECHNICAL RESCUE INCIDENTS AS WELL AS FIRES. SWIFT-WATER RESCUE INCIDENTS HAVE BECOME AN EVER-PRESSING ISSUE, AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE EVENTS THAT CAUSED THE DEATH OF CLAREMORE, OKLA., FIREFIGHTER JASON FARLEY IN MAY 2015. OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY’S FIRE SERVICE TRAINING IS BEGINNING A NEW PROGRAM TO TRAIN FIRST RESPONDERS TO HELP IN THESE DIFFICULT SITUATIONS.

FST is joining forces with the Oklahoma City Fire Department and Riversport Rapids began hosting swift-water rescue training for first responders in the summer of 2016. The new courses meet the rigorous job performance requirements of the National Fire Protection Association 1006 and 1670 training and response standards. The training will take place at the new Riversport Rapid facility in Oklahoma City.

“This facility is remarkable,” says Erick Reynolds, FST director. “Oklahoma fire responders are finally able to train in an environment that closely simulates what can be faced in the real world, but with safety measures in place, to allow for safe and effective training.”

FST began instructor training in May with the Riversport staff. The Swiftwater Technician Level I and II courses will teach participants how to assemble as a team during incidents, assess moving water conditions, and efficiently and effectively perform a swift-water rescue of a victim trapped in a moving current.

FST looks to draw regional responders as well as those from Oklahoma to thi training.

Jason Eric Farley

Capt. Jason Farley was a 20-year veteran of the Claremore, Okla., fire department.

His career and passion for the fire service industry began when he was a teenager and worked as a volunteer firefighter at the Jollyville department near Austin, Texas. After that, he pursed his dream and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in fire protection and safety engineering technology.

Farley was a member of the Local 1077 of the International Association of Fire Fighters in association with the AFL-CIO. He was swept away by floodwaters while working a rescue operation on May 24, 2015.

With the proper training available for firefighters, incidents like the one that took Farley’s life may be reduced.

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