Westchester: Swift Water Rescue Team

[x635 4,066]

I know there are departments trained in ice rescue. And there are some firefighters trained in swiftwater.]]

My question is, does Westchester have a swiftwater team, with all the required equipment? Or first responder level gear?

Down here, I know mostly all departments carry swiftwater gear, and the photo below is of a quint's company's swiftwater gear.

I know Westchester may not have swift water, but with the weather being so wacky the past couple of years, you never know.

[JM15 386]

Does Yorktown's dive team have swift water capabilities?

[HFD23 37]

Does Yorktown's dive team have swift water capabilities?

Yes, Yorktown's Dive Water/ Rescue team is trained in various areas including but not limited to Dive Ops, Ice Dive Ops, Ice Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, Floods and Moving Water ops. The Team Has all the necessary boats and equipment for the above listed operations. For more information on their capabilities contact the Chief or Dive Team Captain, i know that they go out and will do training with other departments regarding the teams capabilities as a mutual aid resource.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Yes, Yorktown's Dive Water/ Rescue team is trained in various areas including but not limited to Dive Ops, Ice Dive Ops, Ice Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, Floods and Moving Water ops. The Team Has all the necessary boats and equipment for the above listed operations. For more information on their capabilities contact the Chief or Dive Team Captain, i know that they go out and will do training with other departments regarding the teams capabilities as a mutual aid resource.

Kudos to your department for actually getting trained in SWR, most of the time when departments have a dive team, the municipality just assumes that SCUBA-Steve can work in Class 3 rapids because he knows how to swim. I took CT's Surface Water Rescue Operational course (which turned out to be a swift water course, while I was thinking it would be surface water like lakes, etc.) and it was extremely informative but definitely trains you in a set of skills that need to be practiced. Those of us without moving water in our districts under normal conditions (because Seth is right, the weather has been crazy here) probably wouldn't expect the kind of numbers that exist in terms of force created by moving water. Anyone taking any sort of water rescue course should learn at least the basics of how swift water works, IE an Awareness level course.