Hunterdon County Democrat - Community Bulletin - Posted Jul 12, 2019

The Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force held a grain bin rescue drill on Wednesday, July 10, for a new specialized piece of equipment it was recently awarded.

The task force received a Grain Rescue Tube and training in its use as part of Grain Bin Safety Week from the Peosta, Iowa-based National Education Center for Agricultural Safety.

Flemington-Raritan First Aid Rescue Squad chief Tom Hoffman said the county’s rescue task force was able to obtain the rescue tube the through a grant facilitated by the Nationwide Insurance Co.

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!

​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.  

By Craig Turpin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 
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on December 05, 2016 at 7:22 AM

CLINTON TWP. - A vehicle crashed into the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center off Route 31 on Sunday afternoon.

The accident happened at approximately 2:45 p.m. when a Subaru Outback struck the front of the, ending up partially going through a wall just below a window. It did not appear the driver was injured in the accident, according to those at the scene.

The building was evacuated because firefighters reported a hissing sound coming from inside the building at the site of the accident. The firefighter's gas detection devices did not show a presence of chemicals.

The Hunterdon County Health Department Hazmat Unit responded to also check the building and the Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force came to check the building, which they determined was safe to enter.
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Responding were Clinton Township Police, Annandale Hose Company, Clinton Rescue Squad, Hunterdon County Fire and EMS Coordinators, Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force and Hunterdon County Health Department Hazmat Unit.

CFARS NOTE: While the Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force was initially requested based on first reports, it was quickly determined their services were not needed, and the balance of the HCTRTF was cancelled before arriving on scene.  The building was turned back over the the owners once the structural stability was determined to a non-life threat.  Thank you as always to all our partners for a quick response.  

Original news article: ​http://www.nj.com/hunterdon/index.ssf/2016/12/vehicle_crashes_into_hunterdon_county_doctors_offi.html#incart_most_shared-hunterdon 

On Saturday June 4, 2016, members of the CFARS Technical Rescue Team, in conjunction with the Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force, responded 11 Members with Heavy Rescue 455, our Special Services Unit with the Technical Rescue Support Trailer, and our Rehab unit to the Town of Phillipsburg for the reported House Explosion with unconfirmed entrapment.

Upon our arrival, met with agency representatives at the command post who advised of an explosion with an unknown cause that has severely compromised a duplex residence, as well as an adjacent structure. Upon a hazard survey being completed by the Warren County Hazardous Materials Team, a crew of 3 from CFARS assembled with Gas Meters, Pike Poles, and a Specialized Search Camera, and began a search and reconnaissance mission in the affected structures. At the same time, a similar team from the Flemington-Raritan First Aid and Rescue Squad, also responding with the Task Force, began a similar search in the adjacent areas to the Clinton crew. Luckily, our searches returned negative results and all rescue crews cleared within approximately 90 minutes from the beginning of the first search without injury.

During this incident, the Rehab Unit provided a cooling station with medical care and refreshment to the Rescuers, Firefighters, and bystanders involved in this incident, and remained on scene for about an hour following the completion of the search.

While these incidents have a low frequency of occurrence, they are very high-risk incidents that we do train for throughout the year. CFARS is proud to offer this service as one of our many technical rescue disciplines, and is just as proud of the members who take the extensive training to perform them.

Photos courtesy of: Dan Clerico (Northeast Bravest), Phillipsburg Emergency Squad & CFARS members.

​In the morning on Sunday, November 22nd, members of the CFARS Technical Rescue Team along with members from the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad met to complete a simulated Trench Rescue. Members arrived at the training site to find a single person, in this case our mannequin "Randy", who had fallen in to an 8ft deep trench at a "job site". Crews worked for about 2 to ventilate, de-water, shore, and secure trench, and to successfully package and extricate the patient. Trench Rescues are low-frequency, high-risk incidents that require frequent training to keep up with our skills. CFARS, along with the Hunterdon County Technical Rescue Task Force, respond to about 1-2 Trench Rescues per year.

During this drill, multiple crews handled various calls for service including a serious motor vehicle accident, water access rescue, two additional motor vehicle accidents, and a small group of medical incidents. Sunday was a true reminder of how lucky we are to have such great involved members to keep our community safe. 

#CFARSPRIDE