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Help is on the line

Surrey firefighters stay on top of rescue techniques to prepare for all types of emergencies.
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Firefighter Amar Sangha rappels down a steep embankment in Tom Hopkins Park.

Members of the Surrey Firefighter Confined Space and High Angle Rescue Team, along with Royal Heights Hall 3 volunteers, spent a recent Tuesday evening (July 23) deep in the woods at Tom Hopkins Ravine Park “rescuing” a young woman who had fallen and broken her knee.

The pre-planned training exercise was part of a continuous schedule that members of the two Surrey volunteer fire halls – located in Port Kells and Royal Heights – complete weekly to stay sharp.

The woman was placed in the ravine and the firefighters were tasked with finding her in the dense bush, stabilizing her injuries on the scene, and aiding the rescue team using a rope-pulley system to get her out of the woods in a rescue basket.

Photo: The Hall 3 volunteer rescue team lowers a basket stretcher into the ravine.

According to volunteer District Chief Walter Becker, it’s important to keep the volunteers well-trained so they can assist full-time firefighters with the ever-increasing number of serious emergencies in Surrey.

“We train in every area of the city, from Cloverdale to Bridgeview,” said Becker, adding exercises ranging from first aid calls and serious car accidents, to water retrieval techniques for areas of the city with few fire hydrants.

According to Becker, working as a volunteer helps members realize what it takes to become a full-time firefighter.

For more information on becoming a volunteer firefighter, go to https://www.surrey.ca/city-services/4696.aspx

eseal@surreyleader.com