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2010 Special Operations Training cont'd
Rangers from the Colorado State Parks
also participated in the drills, adding
their equipment and expertise to the
scenarios.

In March, the District’s rope rescue
technicians participated in a mutual aid
company rope rescue training at the XCEL
Energy Fort Saint Vrain Power Station.
Personnel from Frederick-Firestone,
Platteville-Gilcrest, and Fort Lupton
Fire Districts were familiarized with
each other’s equipment and
capabilities. The rope rescue
specialists participated in a low-angle
rescue evolution, i.e. a simulated
rescue of a person in a below-grade
environment. Rope team members
demonstrated various rope rescue
competencies by alternating as members
of a hauling, belay, and rescue teams.
All District Personnel completed
Swiftwater Rescue Awareness training in
May that was instructed by the
District’s Swiftwater Technicians. All
staff completed classroom training on
the topic of water and its dangers,
followed by water rescue skills
evaluations at the Carbon Valley
Recreation Center. The District also
added two additional Swiftwater
Technicians to its team this year.
Our HazMat Technicians have been
especially busy this year. Each
quarter, our Hazmat Technicians
participate in the Southwest Weld Hazmat
Training Group drills. These training
sessions are attended by Hazmat
Technicians from Frederick-Firestone,
Platteville-Gilcrest, Fort Lupton,
Mountain View, and Greater Brighton Fire
Districts. On June 16th,
several of the District’s Hazmat
Technicians were directly involved in a
regional full scale WMD exercise
presented by the Weld County Office of
Emergency Management.

In June, our Trench Rescue Technicians
conducted one of our bi-annual trench
rescue drills for all of our
firefighters and officers. Arriving
crews were faced with a large “T” trench
with an unconscious utility worker
approximately seven foot below ground
level. Crews had to secure the trench
and extricate the victim safely. The
District also added two additional
Trench & Collapse Rescue Technicians to
our Special Operations Team this year.

The District and its members are
committed to being able to respond to
and safely mitigate the wide-ranging
calls for service our jurisdiction
receives. This involves a coordinate
effort of personnel and equipment from
not only our agency, but also from our
neighboring agencies. The training and
equipping of our Special Operations
units is an ongoing and continual
process, and comes in addition to the
fire suppression and emergency medical
training in which all of our staff
participates. Confined Space Rescue and
Collapse Search & Rescue will be the
focus of Special Operations training in
2011, in addition to the continuing
education in the aforementioned areas. |
New Emergency Notification System Operational in Weld County
cont'd
early
warning systems that provide you with
up-to-date, accurate information. This
includes:
- Emergency
Callback Systems such as the
Intrado Target Notification system
used in Weld County
- Local Media
Broadcasts on Radio, Television
and the Internet
- NOAA Weather
Alerts via a Weather Alert Radio
All wireless (cell)
and voice over internet (VoIP) phone
subscribers within Weld County are
eligible to register and receive Intrado
Target Notifications from the system,
and all of the information you enter is
stored in a secure database. You will
only receive calls/notifications when
emergency officials deem an emergency
exists in your area and activate the
call-back system. No matter where you
are physically located, you will only
receive calls for emergencies that
affect the address entered into the
website. So if you are on vacation in a
different state you will still receive a
phone call if the address you entered is
affected by an emergency.
The Intrado Target
Notification is different than the
notification systems used by certain
communities to send out community
information. The Intrado system is used
by emergency officials only, and only
emergency information is sent to
subscribers. Signing up for another
system (i.e. Blackboard Connect, Code
Red, Connect Cty, etc.) will not
register your numbers and address with
the Weld County Emergency Notification
System, you must register for the
Intrado system independently. Signing up
for the Weld County Intrado Target
Notification Service is free and easy.
Just click on the “Intrado”
banner in the left column for more
information and registration.
Be Prepared, Be Informed, Be Vigilant
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