Trench Rescue

With a boom in construction and development throughout the district comes the need to improve services and utilities such as water, sewer, natural gas and electricity. Many of these utilities are safely located deep underground out of harms way. But to get these pipes, power lines and vaults underground deep trenches must be dug – this is when tragedy can strike. Workers digging in soft, unstable soils can be trapped deep within earthen trenches when the walls of the trench collapse under the weight of dirt and rocks. These situations often prove fatal for the victim trapped and pose a high risk for the rescuer. Secondary trench collapse, flooding from broken water mains, ruptured gas and live electrical wires are often present in a trench emergency.

The rescue technicians of Clackamas Fire District #1 are trained and certified to national standards as Trench Rescue Technicians. Often specialized equipment such as earth moving equipment, cranes, shoring cages and water evacuating equipment must be brought in to assist in the rescue. Working together with other emergency responders, utility workers and contractors this rescue effort is truly a team effort. The firefighters of the district coordinate rescue efforts to ensure the quickest and safest rescue possible.