Members of
the Wagontown, Honey Brook Fire Companies along with
Chester County Fire Training Instructors and County
Parks Rangers and Technicians recently attended a class
in Water Rescue and Emergency Response (AKA Phase I)
taught by the PA Fish and Boat Commission and Bucks
County Community College Fire Training. Members
completed the course which consisted of three Wednesday
nights of classroom held at the Wagontown Fire Company
(35) and a Sunday on the Brandywine River and at the
Brandywine YMCA pool. During the classroom sessions, the
students were taught in different topics such as health
concerns related to water rescues, rescue techniques
using rope bags, life vests, boats, etc., and the
different ways to rescue oneself if the rescuer was the
one that got into trouble during the incident. All those
techniques were then put to the test on Sunday with
students practicing skills learned at the Brandywine
YMCA pool in the morning and having to brave the cold
water of the Brandywine River in the afternoon. Students
worked in the river to save "victims" from different
situations. This training also allowed the companies and
departments work together that would normally respond to
water related incidents.
