First responders from Alabama and Tennessee gathered in Wetumpka this week to take part in a five-day water rescue training course offered through Rescue 3 International.
Instructor Dan Wheeley said 18 first responders from Vestavia Hills and three Tennessee municipalities – Germantown, Collierville and Washington County – signed up to take part in the flood and swift water boat operator course on the Coosa River.
The class focuses on teaching first responders how to operate in flood conditions and fast currents.
Wheeley said this week isn’t the first time he’s visited Wetumpka for a water training course.
“This is a great venue because it has a lot of the features we need to do these classes,” Wheeley said. “It’s dam-controlled so the water level is steady and deep enough that we don’t tear up the boats. And it still has rapids and the white water features that we need.”
Wheeley led the course with two other instructors, Scott Wiseman and Brandon Kurfees. Participants learned boat handling skills, how to troubleshoot boat operation problems, how to tow a stranded boat and how to keep the boat stationary in currents.
They also completed a boat obstacle course and practiced crew member overboard skills and victim pickups.
Wheeley said all the first responders are members of task force teams in their respective locations that are deployed in water emergency situations.
California-based Rescue 3 International is the largest accrediting body for technical rescue programs in the world, according to its website. The organization develops curriculum and accredits training programs across various technical rescue disciplines, including water, technical rope and rigging, ice, boat, confined space and medical.
