This past weekend, three Chester County Rescue Task Force Technicians from Fame had the opportunity to complete a 40 hour FEMA/DHS Technical Search Specialist course at PA Task Force-1 and the Philadelphia Fire Academy funded by the Southeastern PA Regional Task Force. Five to six individuals were selected from each of the four surrounding Philadelphia counties to attend the course (Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, Delaware Counties). The course taught members of the CCRTF-1 how to utilize special equipment to locate and detect victims of a structural collapse.

The Fame is the Lead Agency for Structural Collapse on the Chester County Rescue Task Force and houses specialized equipment for this purpose. The Technicians learned how to utilize search cameras to locate victims in small void spaces, DELSAR listening devices to hear the faintest tapping from a potential victim, and honed their skills on utilizing GPS to mark and identify USAR objectives while conducting these search operations. Fame currently has ten members who have completed this technical search specialist training course.