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Special Operations

 

 

 

 

 
The Boyle County Fire Department has grown tremendously over the past years. In addition to responding to fires and motor vehicle accidents, we have expanded our services to include a “Special Operations” division. This division encompasses special disciplines within emergency services. This division trains for and is equipped for emergencies that fall outside of the normal fire and rescue calls we normally respond to. Boyle County Fire Department Special Operations Division fields the following teams: Haz-Mat, Search and Rescue, Technical Rescue, Water Rescue and Fire Investigations. Each of these teams is comprised of firefighters and officers that have completed specialized training above the firefighting level. Many of these teams require yearly recertification in these fields. Special operations teams train several hours a month in addition to typical firefighting training. While we are all pressed for time, these members go above and beyond in preparing themselves for helping and serving our citizens. Following is a brief description of each of our Special Operations teams.

HAZMAT: The BCFD Hazmat team has members trained to the Awareness, Operations and Technician Levels. The Technician Level certification alone is a 40 hour class. BCFD is host to one of three Kentucky Region 12 Hazmat / Weapons of Mass Destruction Level A response trailers. We are one of the primary response units to a multi county area in the south central and southern part of the state. Our response trailer is equipped with many specialized pieces of equipment that help us to enter, evaluate and mitigate a scene involving hazardous materials. We utilize a fully equipped trailer to effectively handle any Haz-Mat call.

SEARCH AND RESCUE: This group is responsible for searching for and removing individuals that have become lost or injured in the outdoors. This class is usually 24 hours for the basic level of training. In addition, many of our team members have specialized training in this field. This specialty is much more than walking around looking for someone. We utilize state of the art computer mapping programs, GPS units, compass work and most of all our training when we are called upon to try and find a lost person. We maintain a trailer with equipment and a Kubota off road vehicle to respond to these types of incidents.

TECHNICAL RESCUE: The Technical Rescue group utilizes rope equipment to remove victims from both high and low angle situations. This could be as simple as assisting a patient up an embankment to a complex rescue in removing a victim from the side of a cliff. This group has many hours of training to become proficient in setting up a rope system and then removing the patient from danger. We utilize 2 of our rescue trucks to carry this equipment for quick responses throughout the county

WATER RESCUE: This group of firefighters train for a variety of issues that could arise on any body of water. We can respond to calls involving boating accidents, evidence recovery and drowning situations. We have several certified divers on the team, and many support staff to operate specialized equipment and assist at scenes. Our divers are dry suit capable and have underwater communication capabilities. We maintain 2 boats and a fully equipped trailer for this field. Our primary boat is equipped with side scan sonar for dive operation support.

FIRE INVESTIGATIONS: The Fire Investigations team responds to any fire within our response area. The primary function of this group is to determine the cause and origin of a fire involving a structure or vehicle. We work closely with local and state law enforcement officials as well as insurance companies to determine cause / origin for fires. Our team has specialized training to gain knowledge in the area of investigations and evidence collection.

As you can see, these areas require lots of “extra” training above the firefighting level. Approximately 1/3 of our current members participate in at least 1 of these specialized fields. This requires many hours of additional training and work. All of these fields challenge our firefighters both physically as well as mentally. We are always looking for individuals to join the department as firefighters, and after proving themselves in basic firefighting skills and abilities, we encourage them to join one or more of our special operations groups. If you are interested in joining Boyle County Fire Department, contact the office at (859)-236-8238. If you have questions about the Special Operations Division, contact Assistant Chief Young at (859)-326-1786.