Salt Lake City Fire hosts inaugural heavy rescue competition for a good cause

SALT LAKE CITY — Departments from across Utah, Los Angeles, and Orange County met on Salt Lake City Fire’s turf to put their heavy rescue skills to the test Thursday.

Firefighters trained for heavy rescues were timed and judged for their rescue tactics, to strengthen their skills.

“Earlier this year, we teamed up with Petzl in an effort to find a way to reach out to the community to create some competition, to bring some more mutual partnerships together with our high-angle rescue program.” Brandon Phillips, fire chief at Marathon Petroleum said.

Phillips said there are ten competing teams, each with six members. They hoped this would “create some friendly competition.”

Each team has a patient, and a team leader that is chosen for them, not voted on within the team.

“In an emergency response world… We’re only as good as our least experienced, or least skilled team member,” Phillips said.

Captain Chad Jepperson with the Salt Lake City Fire Department said the heavy rescue teams were tasked with specific skills that were low-frequency, high-risk events. He said things like backcountry rescues, heavy machinery, and trench rescues would fall under this category.

“Some of these events are challenging enough that they are not being completed, because… there’s a time limit associated with it,” Jepperson said. “There’s a lot of protocols as far as safety, and it’s very challenging.”

During the competition, Jepperson said teams were given different scenarios to complete their missions.

“When you do these competitions with outside agencies and fresh minds, new scenarios can come to light,” Jepperson said. “And that’s great because all of the scenarios our fire departments and the refineries see are not bread and butter. They’re usually rescues because something has gone wrong.”

Jepperson said that unique scenarios challenge thought processes, and require good tactics to make the rescue.

“These teams are going to go home now with new ideas about training evolutions, and about where they’re weak and where they’re strong,” Jepperson said. “And hopefully will do better, and for their own communities. And maybe come back next year and do better as a team.”

The winning team will donate through the competition’s sponsorships to the burn center at the University of Utah.

“That’s something that we want to give back,” Phillips said.