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Participant Training Tracks

VMR Level 2 HoT

Max: 20 participants in each block
This hands-on experience within Vehicle and Machine Rescue Level 2 is a review and exposure to advanced rescue techniques regarding passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles involving advanced and difficult situations. This will only be a small portion of the full course delivery and only partially completes the objectives of NFPA 1006 VMR Level 1 and 2 standards.
There will be several rotating stations within the four-hour block. Each will contain different advanced and complicated scenarios with some involving vehicles and structures and/or large commercial vehicles/machines together. This HoT will provide the material needed in order to perform the final evolution for the conference training. These stations and evolutions will be dependent upon prop availability. The intent is to provide review, orientation and opportunity within advanced VMR not often available.

Prerequisites

This VMR HoT is for the individual who has completed the VMR Level 1 coursework or its equivalent to contain basic extrication techniques from common passenger vehicles. Advanced VMR training would be helpful but not necessary.

Required PPE

NFPA compliant helmet, ANSI compliant eye protection, steel-toed boots, leather gloves, and NFPA rescue turnout gear are required. Structural turnout gear and helmets with eye protection are accepted. Technical rescue uniform ensemble with long sleeves is accepted. Wildland ensemble and/or wildland coveralls ensemble is accepted.

Instructors

• Joel Zehr is a Firefighter/Paramedic and TRT Coordinator from Newton Fire/EMS. Joel has a significant background in technical rescue and in the trades within the construction, trucking and agricultural areas. Commercial vehicle and machine rescue are a forte for Joel. Joel has been very active in technical rescue within the state of Kansas and teaches multiple disciplines of technical rescue nationwide. Joel continues to contribute to technical rescue at the state level by participating with work groups regarding technical rescue and is a rescue technician for KSTF-5.
• A. J. Venable has been a firefighter in Leawood for the past eight years. A graduate of Prescott College, Arizona, A.J. has a major in education and a minor in emergency services, and has served on SAR teams in Arizona, Colorado, and Yosemite National Park. He currently serves as a Team Leader for Leawood’s Technical Rescue Team and is qualified to fill several task force positions from Rescue Specialist to Assistant TFL. A.J. has responded to several major incidents in Kansas, including the Greensburg tornado and SE Kansas Flood.

Advanced Rope Rescue

Max: 20 participants in each block
During this advanced-level rope class, students will be moving a victim using a high-angle rope system; have access in buildings from roof down using rope systems, move victims from lower floors to the roof using high-angle rope systems, securing victims in a stokes basket or other litter device, both with and without an attendant; they will also be setting-up and operating a tensioned rope system, lowering victims from the roof to the ground at a specified distance from the structure.

Prerequisites

Students should have a basic working knowledge of ropes and knots.

Required PPE

Students will be required to work between 20–50 feet above the ground. All students are required to wear a helmet, gloves, and eye protection.

Instructor

• Larry Hemphill is currently division chief with 26 years of service with the Salina Fire Department. Larry directs training, firefighter safety and technical rescue programs for the department.

Search Operations

Max: 20 participants in each block
Participants will work as members of a Search Squad to perform Search Operations in a variety of settings. Practical application of wide area, neighborhood and single building search will be used. Participants will perform search functions in conjunction with K9 team(s), utilizing physical search as well as specialized equipment.

Prerequisites

There are no specific pre-requisite classes for this class, but participants will be provided with pre-class materials, prior to the conference, by e-mail. It will be expected that all participants will have read and understand this material.

Required PPE

Required PPE will include a helmet, eye protection, long sleeved shirt, gloves, long pants and steel-toed boots. Participants may also consider bringing a day pack with additional supplies for the final day’s scenario.

Instructors

• Joey Heideman has worked as a Firefighter/Paramedic and been a member of the Special Operations Group for the Olathe Fire Department for six years. In addition to Technical Search Specialist, Heideman is also certified as a Hazardous Materials Technician and IFSAC Building Collapse Technician.
• Annette Gaston is an Independent K-9 Handler. She has 12 years of experience in SAR and is a retired Paramedic with more than 30 years of experience in Emergency Services. She also holds certificates as a Kansas Paramedic: NASAR SARTECH II, Canine SARTECH I Area & Trailing, Disaster-Live and HRD and HRD (land and water): Inland SAR School; and Rescue Systems I. She is also a NASAR Lead Evaluator for SARTECH II and Canine SARTECH Area Search (III, II, I), Tracking/Trailing (III, II, I), Disaster—Live Find and HRD and HRD (land & water). Her canine disaster experience includes deployments to tornados in Parsons, Hoisington, Kansas City, Greensburg and Chapman as well as the Emporia Turnpike Flood.
• Jake Ring is a 17-year veteran of the fire service having spent the last five years with the Olathe Fire Department as a Firefighter/Paramedic. He has been a part of the technical rescue team with Olathe since 2007 as a Canine Handler. His canine partner Copperis certified as a Disaster Search Canine as well as in Area Search I & II. Jake is certified as a SARTech II, Disaster Canine Responder, Disaster Search Canine Evaluator and focuses on Collapse Void Searches and Search Strategies in the Urban Environment.

Advanced Shoring Operations

Max: 20 participants in each block
This shoring session will take the attendees knowledge of basic shoring principles to the next level. Attendees will learn how to build their text book square shores in a not so square world. Utilizing the engineered shoring principle associated with each shore they will break down each component and the key factor it plays within the shore. Once this has been identified they will then make the proper adjustments to allow the shore to work within the restrictions of the area needing shored.

Prerequisites

Basic Shoring provided through either a SCT Level 1 course or its equivalent.

Required PPE

PPE requirements include a helmet, gloves, steel-toed boots, eyewear and the Shoring Operation Guide book.

Instructors

• Lieutenant Scott Kleinschmidt is a 16-year veteran with the Wichita Fire Department and a Rescue Technician with KSTF-5. He is an instructor in rescue operations at the local, state, and national level.
• Brian Force has been a member of the Manhattan Fire Department for seven years, currently ranked as Fire Driver II. He has been active in Confined Space/ High Angle rescue, Ice Rescue, and a member of the Manhattan Fire Department SCT team. Brian is currently one of the department’s instructors for shoring operations.

Tech Rescue Rigging: An Introduction to the Art of Rigging Artificial Anchors and High Directionals

Max: 20 participants in each block
This four-hour rigging class is designed for any rope rescue practitioner wishing to improve upon their personal rigging skills. The first hour of the course will begin with a brief physics review of the importance of understanding critical angles and resultant vector forces and then lead into the proper use and techniques involved in building and rigging artificial anchors systems such as pickets, holdfasts and dead-mans. The second hour will focus on demonstrating and practicing basic rigging and guying techniques of round timbers used when constructing gin poles, A-Frames, and tripods. In the third hour, participants will graduate to learning more complex rigging and guying techniques of modern-day technical rescue equipment such as Paratech monopods, bipods, and tripods. The last hour of the workshop will be dedicated to completing a final scenario requiring participants to utilize all the skills learned throughout the course.

Prerequisites

Previous exposure to technician level rope rescue operations and/or a working knowledge of ropes, knots, mechanical advantage, and anchor systems is highly recommended.

Required PPE

Participants will be working with and around rope software/hardware, steel pickets, hand tools such as sledge hammers and shovels, 4"x 12’ round timbers, and Paratech struts and accessories. Required PPE includes a helmet, gloves, eye protection, and steel-toed boots.

Instructors

• Kevin Weyand is a 17-year veteran of the fire service having spent the last 12 years with the Olathe Fire Department. He has been on the technical rescue team with Olathe since 2002 and has been a Captain on the Heavy Rescue for the past six years. Kevin is certified at the technician level in Rope, Confined Space, Structural Collapse, Trench, Vehicle Extrication, Swift Water/Boat Ops, Hazardous Materials, and is an IFSAC instructor and
  T-t-T for Structural Collapse, Rope Rescue, and Confined Space for both Kansas and Missouri.
  
• Matthew Parker is a 16-year veteran of the fire service having spent the last 12 years with the Olathe Fire Department. He has been on the technical rescue team with Olathe since 1999 and has been a Firefighter/Paramedic in Heavy Rescue, the past 10 years. Matt is certified at the technician level in Rope, Confined Space, Structural Collapse, Trench, Swift Water/Boat Ops, and Hazardous Materials, and is an IFSAC instructor and T-t-T for Structural Collapse, Rope Rescue, and Confined Space.

Breaching and Breaking Concrete (Structural Collapse Technician Refresher Training)

Max: 20 participants in each block
This four-hour training session is designed for the Structural Collapse Technician wishing to improve and refresh their core-level SCT skills. This course will include practical application of both clean- and dirty-breaching, and the use and application of core drilling for technical search operations. This training session will break down into four separate one-hour, hands-on training modules to include cutting and breaching with Stanley Tools, step cuts and lift outs, dirty breaching with electric and hydraulic jackhammers, and breaching concrete using stitch cuts with a combination of hammer drills and tools. This training will take place on and around the collapse rescue rubble pile at Crisis City.

Participants will be working with heavy-rescue tools including hydraulic, pneumatic and electric saws, drills, jackhammers, and other tools, including basic rescue hand tools. Each participant will receive four documented hours of Structural Collapse Technician Refresher training for completion of this training. Safety practices will be strictly enforced and all personnel are recommended to bring personal water bottles or hydration bladders.

Prerequisites

Previous training and completion of the FEMA Equivalent 80-hour Structural Collapse Rescue Technician course is highly recommended.

Required PPE

Required PPE includes a rescue helmet, leather gloves, approved eye protection, a long sleeve shirt and steel-toed boots. Hearing protection and dust masks will be available.

Instructors

• Jeff Scott is currently a Battalion Chief with Consolidated Fire District #2 in N.E. Johnson County and has 21 years in the Fire Service. Jeff has certifications in Trench Rescue, Rope Rescue and Structural Collapse. Currently he is an instructor in Trench Rescue and Structural Collapse. Jeff was deployed to Mississippi during Katrina and Greensburg, Kansas after the tornado.
• Lieutenant Colonel Dirk Christian is the commander of the 73^rd Civil Support Team (WMD) in Topeka, Kansas. Dirk is a 21-year veteran of the fire service; the past six years as the Deputy Chief and Technical Rescue Team Leader for Mission Township Fire Department in Topeka. Dirk has been involved in technical rescue most of his career, focusing on collapse rescue. He is qualified for numerous positions with KSTF-2 and currently serves on numerous local-, state-, and national-level committees and advisory boards, including the national board of directors for the State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance (SUSAR).