Last night, the Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad's Rescue Division attended a course at the Flemington-Raritan First Aid & Rescue Squad as part of the Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force.  The drill focused on grain bin safety and rescue. With a number of working farms still active in and around Hunterdon County, the need for efficient rescue procedures for grain bin emergencies remains important. Additionally, many of the skills applicable for grain bins can be applied to similar storage vessels in industrial settings. The HCTRTF is an "all hazards" technical rescue team comprised of the Flemington - Raritan FARS, Clinton FARS, Whitehouse FARS, Lambertville FD, and Hunterdon County Emergency Management.

Flemington's Rescue Squad Chief Tom Hoffman applied for a grant through the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety earlier this spring, and the HCTRTF was selected to receive both training and equipment. The NECAS brought a mobile grain bin simulator to Flemington's station from Iowa last night. After a classroom session from NECAS Director Dan Neenan and dinner provided by the Squad, all HCTRTF personnel went outside and had the opportunity to practice techniques using a grain shield and rescue auger to remove grain from around the patient. Personnel played the role of the engulfed patient, gaining an appreciation of how easy it is to become trapped in flowing grain. Personnel also used various cutting tools to practice cutting the metal sheets that make up a grain bin, in the event that product needs to be released in a rapid but controlled fashion to free a patient completely buried in the grain.

Over 100 bushels of wheat were provided by the Zeng Farm in Raritan Township for use in the grain bin simulator. Without their assistance, the training would not have been possible.

Upon completion of the training, the HCTRTF was given the grain shield system, called "The Great Wall of Rescue" used in the program. It will be carried on a Clinton FARS rescue unit, available county-wide (and beyond) when needed through the HCTRTF.  The agencies will be looking for additional funding to purchase a JPZ Rescue Auger (retail: $795) demonstrated during the training, which works much faster than manual shoveling within the tube.  
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The Training Never Ends!

Six members participated in an Active Threat Response course developed by the NCBRT at Louisiana State University this week.  The 24-hour, 3 day course helps prepare responders from Law Enforcement, EMS and Fire to integrate their response to Active Shooter Events.  The delivery included 26 participants from across New Jersey & Pennsylvania, including 6 members of CFARS. 

Organized jointly by the Hunterdon County and Warren County Prosecutor's Offices, the course provides law enforcement officers with key medical skills based on tactical emergency casualty care (TECC) guidelines that can be used at the point of injury (POI) to increase survivability of victims. The course also provides a model framework for law enforcement, fire, and EMS to integrate responses during an active shooter event through the rescue task force concept using the Active Shooter Incident Management Checklist

Lt. Kevin Burd, Commander of the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office SWAT Team, and William Eppell, Chief of Staff for Warren County's Prosecutor's Office were joined by 15 volunteer instructors who spent the 3 days leading responders through lectures, table top exercises, skill stations and drills.   The three days ended with 4 final full scale exercises, each scenario including unique challenges for the students to overcome.    A dozen volunteer "victims" helped to bring realism to the scenarios, with "fake injuries" attached to their limbs, and using some of their acting skills from past lives it seemed.   

The course was held at the former Merck Child Learning Center in Readington Township, that was graciously made available for this program.  The Whitehouse Rescue Squad provided ambulances for the final exercises, Warren County Communications provided an on scene communications vehicle, and our department provided our Staging Trailer and REHAB units to assist with the delivery.  

We would like to thank the instructors from all across New Jersey who took the time to prepare our team for an event we hope will never occur here in Hunterdon County.  They helped us be better able to respond by spreading their knowledge with our responders, as did several subject matter experts from the NCBRT/LSU program that joined us for parts of the the program.  

This was the first delivery of it's kind in the Country.   While most of the ATIRC programs are delivered as "direct delivery" by LSU staff, this program was the first to allow a customized program for local delivery by trained instructors, a model that the NJ Office of Homeland Security hopes to continue.  Representatives from NJ OHSP were on hand supporting the delivery throughout the week.  

Agencies participating from Hunterdon County included:
Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad
Hunterdon County SWAT
Flemington-Raritan First Aid & Rescue Squad
Milford Holland Rescue Squad
Pattenburg Rescue Squad
Quakertown Fire Company/EMS
Whitehouse First Aid & Rescue Squad
Raritan Township Police
Holland Township Police
Hunterdon County Sheriffs Office
Tewksburty Township Police

This morning, EMT Class #13 participated in a simulated Mass Casualty Incident where they got to practice triage, treatment, and transport of 14 injured patients. The scenario also tested their incident command, scene safety, communication, and teamwork skills.

​Thank you to all our volunteer "victims" for making this all possible.

This afternoon, Rescue Lieutenant Ben Hagan and Rescue Member Michael Kenny showed the class the basics of vehicle rescue including safety, stabilization, and the basics of extrication

​The Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force (HCTRTF) held its quarterly exercise today on the 25-acre Windy Acres Park in Clinton Township this morning, with a scenario that tested multiple disciplines. The drill, led this quarter by member agency the Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad, was made possible by the Clinton Township Committee and Department of Public Works.  

At just after 8am, the HCTRTF members gathered and were dispatched to a report of a car vs structure, with possible entrapment and collapse.  Units from the member agencies of the Task Force began to arrive and command was established by Clinton Rescue's Deputy Chief of Rescue, who reported a car vs house, car into the basement with 3 entrapped, and a boat they were towing had become dislodged and entrapped a worked in a trench that was open for septic work.  Luckily this was all just a drill.  

This morning, the Flemington-Raritan School District in conjunction with the Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office and Raritan Township Police, held an Active Shooter Drill at the Barley Sheaf Elementary School.  Other responding agencies included the Flemington Police Department, the Flemington-Raritan First Aid & Rescue Squad, the Raritan Twp Fire Company and Fire Marshall's office, and Offices of Emergency Management from Hunterdon County, Flemington Borough and Raritan Township.

Training sessions such as this are held to help prepare school staff on how to respond to an active shooter type incident, and integrate with local responders coming in to help mitigate the situation.   The school was not in session for this mornings drill, and our 3 members were joined by Rescue Task Force members from the Milford-Holland Rescue Squad, Whitehouse Rescue Squad and Flemington's Squad.  

Being the first drill for the forming "RTF" a lot of very useful lessons were learned, and we look forward to a year filled with training and exercising to improve this countywide effort.  

​10 members from the CFARS Water Rescue Team assembled for an indoor training session. Skills covered included equipment review, identifying hazards, victim approach, rescue techniques, hand and whistle signals, pattern searches, and tethered rescue. We would like to send a special shout out and thank you to the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Clinton for the use of their indoor pool for this drill, as well as more to come during our winter training sessions!

Would you be interested in joining our team of Rescuers?  Please visit https://www.clintonems.org/membership-info.html for more information on volunteer opportunites

This past Saturday, July 28th, CFARS held a drill at the Round Valley Recreation Area which consisted of our EMS, Water Rescue, and Rescue divisions.  The drill was treated as a real call where our crews responded to the recreation area, made contact with the "accident victim", requested needed resources, and began care.  

The drill was put together to simulate a female fallen off her bike with impalement on the trail system at Round Valley, utilizing many of the different tools we have at our disposal, such as off road vehicles, rescue boats, and equipment.  Once access was made, crews had to use tools off the Heavy Rescue to extricate the victim from the bike handle that was impaled into the patients chest, then utilize a low angle rope system to safely get the patient down the hill while secured in a stokes basket.  The patient was eventually turned over to our marine team who transported her across the reservoir to an awaiting ambulance.  

Working together, our crews who started the drill at 6:00pm took about 2 hours to complete the mission.  A great learning experience for all involved.  

And a thank you out to the State Parks system for reserving one campsite for our use this evening for the training. 

For information on joining the 24 volunteer members who participated in future drill please visit http://www.JoinClintonEMS.com 

​CFA&RS participated in a live burn at the Hunterdon County Emergency Services Training Center Monday October 30th with several of our first due Fire Department partners. Participating companies included Clinton Fire Station 45, Quakertown Fire/EMS Station 91 and High Bridge Fire Station 14.

CFA&RS participated with in three distinct areas, firstly our Rescue Company Firefighters joined other departments with Fire Operations, second Heavy Rescue 455 provided Cascade services while BLS 45-54 assisted with Rehab and standby.

Excellent evening with three separate and distinct scenario based evolutions with different Fire Officers from each of the participating agencies acting as Incident Command and Fire Operations.

Thanks to all who participated.