Confined Space Rescue

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Being prepared for any emergency response, no matter how common or rare it is, is of incredible importance to all first responders, even if that training is used only once in a firefighter's career.  One example of this is a recent confined space rescue training between the Rancho California Water District and the Murrieta Fire Department.

In the scenario, two subcontractors for the Water District are found unconscious in a 20' x 40' x 20' underground vault by a water district employee.  The employee calls 911, and the Murrieta Fire Department  responds to the scene to find the two victims unresponsive to voice commands.  The firefighters must then monitor the air for toxins before they are able to set up their equipment to make a confined space rescue.

Captain Eric Ballard of the Murrieta Fire Department explains the excercise's challenges saying, "It's very hard with confined space.  It's either going to be a recovery or a rescue, and time is of the essence.  But we have to deal with all of the other hazards and everything around us, so it doesn't move real fast."

Rancho California Water District employees undergo both extensive classroom and field training before working in the underground spaces in order to avoid incidents like this.  The training has been invaluable, as Dave Morrison, the Rancho California Water District's Safety Officer, explains, "We have not had a confined space rescue situation, and hopefully we never will.  I think if we stay up on our training and we are diligent with what we do, hopefully we can avoid that situation."

Even though this scenario has never arisen, firefighters train for it regularly.  Matt Corelli, the Public Information Officer for the Murrieta Fire Department, explains, "The thing with these types of events are they happen very  infrequently, but because they are so high risk and low frequency, they need frequent training, and you never know when these are going to come up."

In addition to being a necessary skill in the the event of such an emergency, firefighters who have gone through this training also acquire advanced knowledge that will help them to be marketable as they seek promotions or look for new career opportunities.

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