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Heavy technical rescue8/17/2023 We took what they were doing, applied some things and added other things that were more specific to our area." "We got a lot of great information from them and there was no reason to reinvent the wheel. "I took the LA County certification class for their rotator, which is a long class," Rodriguez said. Speccing the Heavy-1Īside from Miami-Dade, there's currently only two fire departments in the country that operate with a specialized heavy rescue: the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Los Angeles City Fire Department. The apparatus is a county resource that's available to anyone in the tri-county area, which includes Broward, Palm Beach and Dade counties. Twelve people work on it regularly now, Rodriguez said. The department now has some relief personnel who are also trained, but they're not on the truck on a regular basis. "Once you become a heavy rescue truck technician, then you have the ability to apply to be able to work on this rotator wrecker that we have," Rodriguez said.įourteen people were initially trained in the program. With proper training and experience, it may take anywhere from 10 to 15 years for a firefighter to be able to work on a heavy rescue truck, Rodriguez said. Apply to work for a heavy rescue truck.Become a heavy rescue truck technician and.Work on a technical rescue unit once certified as a technical rescue technician.Become a technical rescue technician, which requires over 600 hours of training to get certified.Be a firefighter for at least six years.To be eligible to apply to work on the Heavy-1, a member must: We treat this piece of apparatus as a surgical tool to remove heavy equipment from around a limb or body that may be in danger," he said. "We treat it as a surgeon views his knife. Operating the massive apparatus is an art form, explained Lt. Operating the apparatus, he explained, is an art form. Rodriguez developed the department's heavy rescue rotator training program. He's also a certified paramedic, marine firefighter and technical rescue technician. ![]() He's also a FEMA structural collapse instructor and has been deployed to various catastrophes, both nationally and internationally. In addition to his lieutenant position, Rodriguez serves as a rescue team manager for FEMA's Florida Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue team. The behemoth apparatus has helped save lives during several significant events since its first call. The unit, which has now been in service for two years, is the only one of its kind available in the state of Florida. We removed the concrete and the vehicles from under the bridge." "But, with that truck, we were able to remove all of the bodies from the wreckage. "In that bridge collapse, we weren't able to make any saves, because everybody that was trapped unfortunately passed," he said. (Photo/Miami-Dade Fire Department)Īs soon as the call came through, Rodriguez jumped in the truck and drove it to the scene. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Heavy-1 is a behemoth of an apparatus that can handle a variety of unique calls.
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