Each year Colonie EMS crews conduct semi-annual training updates on technical rescue and medical training. This fall Assistant Chief Jack Bevilacqua, the designated training chief, coordinated an update for the department which acts as the primary confined space team for the Town of Colonie.
What is Confined Space Rescue?
Confined space rescue is a subset of technical rescue which typically involves extraction of a patient from narrow or constricted areas such as storage tanks, water treatment plants, sewer and mechanical areas.
These environments are typically oxygen depleted or contain dangerous gasses that may have incapacitated the patient to begin with. This requires crews to utilize Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) or supplied air lines. It also requires full body harnesses and rope rescue systems setup for a vertical extraction.
