NINE MILE RIVER: Members of the Nine Mile River Fire Department and East Hants Ground Search and Rescue put their water rescue skills to the test Tuesday evening during a joint training exercise on Renfrew Road, focusing on teamwork, self-rescue techniques and patient transportation across moving water.
The training session saw volunteers practice a variety of scenarios that could be encountered during real-world emergencies, including rope throws, self-rescue techniques, coordinated movement through water in teams of three, and carrying a patient across a waterway using a rescue litter.
For Nine Mile River Fire Chief Tyler Dauphinee, the value of the exercise extended beyond the skills being practiced.
“We’re prepared when the event happens, and we already have those relationships and those skills to be successful,” said Dauphinee.
“It’s important to work with other agencies like search and rescue so we can learn from each other and be ready when we’re called upon.”
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Dauphinee said the evening provided an opportunity for both organizations to share knowledge and techniques.
“We had members here sharing their knowledge to hopefully help them with their work searching shorelines, and we obviously learn things from them as well.
“It’s nice to be able to work together and pick up some tips and tricks from what each organization sees in the field.”
Throughout the exercise, firefighters and SAR volunteers worked together to navigate the water safely.
One scenario involved teams of three crossing the water while maintaining contact and supporting one another.
Another tested volunteers’ ability to transport a patient secured in a rescue litter across the waterway.
East Hants Ground Search and Rescue member Gilbert Chandler said the training helps ensure volunteers remain ready for whatever call may come next.
“It’s a good opportunity to work with multiple agencies and practice our skills because you never know what the next call is going to be or where we’ll be going,” said Chandler.
“It’s good to stay fresh on this stuff.”
Chandler said the primary focus of the evening was rope throws and water rescue training, particularly self-rescue techniques that could be needed during shoreline search operations.
“The water rescue training is self-rescue for members in case someone was to fall in while we’re doing a shoreline search,” he said.
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The patient-carry scenario was another key component of the evening’s training.
“This is if we locate the subject on the opposite side of the waterway and have to cross,” Chandler explained. “We’re practising transporting the subject across the waterway.”
The exercise forms part of the ongoing training curriculum for East Hants Ground Search and Rescue, with members regularly participating in water-based rescue training both outdoors and in pool settings.
Both Dauphinee and Chandler noted that training together helps build familiarity between agencies before an emergency occurs, ensuring a more coordinated response when lives are on the line.
The evening also served as a reminder that both organizations rely on volunteers.
“We all need volunteers,” Dauphinee said, encouraging community members interested in helping their neighbours to consider joining either the fire service or search and rescue.
