When a person thinks of firefighters they usually think of them rescuing people from burning structures above ground. In the coming months, they will make a trip underground as well.
The National Cave Rescue Commission will hold an Orientation to Cave Rescue Seminar in Perryville October 29-30. Multiple fire and rescue departments will be in attendance. The event which will be held at the Perry Park Center is an introduction to cave rescue. Topics covered include Incident Command System and how it applies to cave rescues, medical management, hypothermia, patient packaging, extreme situations, the cave environment, communications, media interaction, search, and more. There will be both classroom and hands on instruction and the students will run a mock incident. There are no prerequisites for this class. This is designed for anyone who has an interest in cave rescue management and operations. Both recreational cavers and emergency response personnel will benefit from this class.
Those under 18 will need to call the seminar coordinator to make prior arrangements to attend if not accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Biehle Assistant Chief Robert Cahoon said the seminar is a vital tool for the fire departments in this area. He has been working with the SEMO Grotto Clun and other caving agencies to bring the seminar to Perryville.
“Perry County has many caves, more than 700, and between all the groups such as the SEMO Grotto Club and other groups who do mapping and ecosystem checks, there is a lot of activity down in the caves,” Cahoon said. “I asked about the rescue side and not many people have any experience with that.”
There have been cave recue classes in the past, however it has been many years.
“We have a lot of new people at the fire department, so it is good to get a refresher course in the different techniques and technology underground,” Cahoon said.