Special Operations Teams
The Eureka Fire Protection District not only has the equipment to get the job done quickly and safely, our personnel have the essential training to utilize the equipment efficiently. The firefighters and paramedics in our organization are members of teams such as our Technical Rescue Team, Swiftwater Rescue Team, Equine Search and Rescue Team, and the Street Team.
Technical Rescue
Our technical rescue team is trained to accept any challenge, to rescue individuals caught in a building collapse, confined space, trench collapse, or any location where access to the patient is restricted. We have extensive training in rope, high angle, confined space, and trench rescue. Our technical rescue protocols are based on the programs taught to the
Federal Emergency
Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces. The equipment kept on hand at the district is modeled after pallet one of a FEMA task force equipment cache. This equipment enables us to mitigate an incident until the arrival of more assistance.
Most members of the Eureka Fire Protection District Technical Rescue Team are members of Missouri Task Force One, a FEMA sponsored
urban search and rescue team, which is based with
Boone County Fire District.
The Eureka Fire Protection District Technical Rescue Team is administered by Assistant Chief Don Tomnitz. He can be contacted Eureka Fire House 1 at 636-938-5505.
Swiftwater Rescue:
Several members of our department are rescuers and instructors for swiftwater rescue techniques. This includes rescue of victims from moving water such as rivers and from still waters such as lakes or ponds. The Eureka Fire Protection District has approximately 37 miles of rivers and inland waterways to protect.
Our swiftwater rescue technicians use ropes, boats, and flotation equipment to
reach victims of flooding incidents. Marine Unit 2429, seen at right, is a
flatbottom jet-powered boat ideal for use in the shallow but swift waterways of
the Eureka Fire Protection District.
Street Team:
The Eureka Fire Protection District Street Team is a squad of personnel who assist with any sort of large attendance event. The street team is comprised of EMT's and Paramedics on bikes. They have the ability to respond quickly to any location in a venue whereas it may take the ambulance time to get through the crowd. Their bikes are equipped with basic life support, trauma equipment,
and an AED.
