Firefighters get hands on with structural collapse training
Published 12:10 am Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Once the top slab has been stabilized, crews blow fresh air into the space to help a victim breathe and to help eliminate any dangerous or flammable chemicals. Elisabeth Strillacci, Salisbury Post
A bright orange circled V indicates a victim has been located in the debris pile and crews work to cut an opening in the side. Elisabeth Strillacci, Salisbury Post
One class member uses a wet saw to cut through concrete during structural collapse training. To his right is the fulcrum and lever others set up that will then be attached by eye bolt to the concrete triangle to keep it from falling on a victim. Elisabeth Strillacci, Salisbury Post
Drilling a pilot hole in a concrete slab to determine if a victim is underneath. All the concrete and steel is from Superior Walls, who also allowed the students from local fire and emergency departments to train in the company’s back lot. Elisabeth Strillacci, Salisbury Post
Crews engage in “hailing” with is a call and hoped for response to locate possible victims in Friday’s structural collapse training. Elisabeth Strillacci, Salisbury Post
By Elisabeth Strillacci
SALISBURY — The Rowan County Special Operations Task Force has engaged in a number of training programs in recent years, most recently taking part in a two-week structural-collapse training.
The class was taught by the National Guard at Stanly Community College for a number of years, but access was limited, and when they closed down the class, the SOTF reached out to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College to see if the college would take up the education, and in true RCCC form, they did.
But the elements needed for practical training include steel and metal and concrete — a lot of concrete. These days, concrete is more expensive than ever. So how to help keep the cost down but make sure firefighters get the hands on skills required for certification?
When Tangela Sutherland, president of Superior Walls, offered supplies from her company, everything fell into place said Maegan Parnell at RCCC.
“Bobby Parnell asked if we had any scrap they could use, and I believe that having firefighters trained for all circumstances helps all of us,” said Sutherland. “I also believe in helping our community any way we can.”
Parnell, the Rowan County Rescue squad chief, said the task force was not only thrilled with Superior’s assistance, but it allows those in the training to “learn how to do this by the book.”
SOTF is made up of a number of local fire departments and emergency services that work together to respond to emergencies in Rowan County and while some of the classes are preparation for rare events, “when the moment comes, this training is essential,” said Parnell, who said the training all conforms to the state Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.
The class runs for two weeks, and the mornings begin with textbook learning, followed by hours of hands-on work. On Friday, firefighters from Salisbury, Kannapolis, Locke, Davie and the Rowan County Rescue Squad donned all pertinent safety gear, including full respirators, and went to work.
Several employees of Superior Walls were real-life victims in a scenario that was meant to be a full building collapse following an explosion.
As one of the three instructors explained, “in a situation like this, you have about 50 percent of your victims ‘on the surface,’ and we start with them.” Scottie Emerson, who is a retired fire captain from Winston-Salem and who owns and operates Emerson and Associates, has been teaching technical rescue across North Carolina and the country for years, and he and two of his instructors were putting the task force members through their paces.
After recovering victims that were the first to spot and access, Emerson said the crews were beginning to look at void spaces, where victims may be trapped under debris in spaces that were somewhat open, like a V-shape formed by two walls collapsing together. Dummies were placed in several areas in the Superior Walls back lot, and crews had to work to progress through the rescue process. They started by calling out or “hailing” to find victims, and then progressed to drilling pilot holes to insert cameras to locate possible victims.
When a victim is located, the spot is marked by a large V with a circle around it, confirming someone is underneath. Then the laborious task of cutting through the concrete and removing panels to reach the victim begins. Some is easier than others, and those in the class are taught to use all materials on hand for the job.
On Thursday, Parnell said trainees had to move large concrete slabs, “and just like the pyramids, we used logs and other pieces on site to roll them along.” On Friday, as they began to work to cut away a triangular piece of concrete that would have been on top of a victim, the crews used pieces of scrap wood to set up a fulcrum and a lever that they attached with an eye bolt to the concrete, so as they cut it away, they could hold it up and keep it from collapsing in on the victim underneath.
But concrete, when cut, creates silica dust, which is dangerous to breath in. So all in range of the cutting and dust were required to wear respirators to filter out the particles. In addition, at times when a crane was used to move pieces of concrete or steel into place, hard hats were required. Most were also in full uniform. The intent is to create a training that is as close to what would happen in a real life situation as possible.
And the class is not easy, by any means, said Emerson. His two other instructors, Bruce Butner from Ashram Rescue with more than 40 years as an instructor and Bradley Dean from Rowan Rescue and Rowan EMS, were watching closely and advising as class members worked the scene. The three are accessible and encouraging, but their expectations are high.
“Over the two weeks, it’s 90 hours and there are practicals every day,” said Emerson. “If you fail something twice, you’re out.” He said the class includes so many pieces, from math to physics as well as fire and rescue, under nine separate sections. At the end, there is a 100-question written test.
“We’ve been out here after dark some nights,” said Parnell.
In addition to the certification and expertise the classes offer, it’s also a chance for cooperation and relationship building among departments, said Salisbury Fire Chief Bob Parnell.
“It’s a good chance for different departments to work together as a team, which helps quite a bit in mutual aid circumstances,” he said. And he expressed appreciation for Superior Walls contribution, not only because it helps on the cost of the class, but because it’s another opportunity to build community relations.
Maegan Parnell said that a lot of the tools the class was using came from grant monies last year, and she pointed out that Rowan Rescue is the only outfit in the county with a trailer designated for structural collapse work.
“They said they needed a class, and we wanted to do what we could to make that happen,” she said.
“As with any training, this is not just a one time thing,” added Bobby Parnell. “The ability to respond to something fully, and have the training be effective, means keeping current. So we hope to hold these once or twice a year.”
Sutherland said her company is all in. The pieces the company donated were pieces that could not be used, so “we’re happy to have it go to such a good cause.”
The class continues until the end of this week, Feb. 14.
