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11/10/2008 ]
Rescuers
reach new heights with specialized training
Anyone
living or working in Berlin has certainly noticed a change in the southeastern
skyline over the past couple years. Now
in addition to the picturesque rolling hills, quilted with patchwork pieces of
farm fields and forest, stand behemoth foreign objects.
The wind turbines that sit atop the ridgeline reaching towards the sky
stand an impressive 286 feet tall (not including the blades).
One might question why this has any place in an ambulance newsletter, but
while the daily mechanical operation of the windmills is nearly silent, the
constant maintenance and upkeep increases the risk for potential incidents
requiring EMS intervention, the likes of which have not yet been seen by this
organization.
The Berlin
Fire Department in cooperation with Eddison Energy have hosted two separate
training courses dealing with windmill operations and rescue.
The first opportunity was ongoing throughout the summer and allowed
rescuers to learn the basic use of fall safety harnesses and then climb the
towers to gain a better understanding of the wind turbine construction and
layout. The second training
opportunity was a 16 hour class entitled High Angle Rescue for Remote Industrial
Settings. This course taught
rescuers some basic knowledge about ropes and riggings and included technical
rescue situations on site of the windmills.
One section of the class was dedicated to EMS treatment of suspension
trauma, which is incurred when a worker is hanging by a harness and is unable to
move or flex. Suspension trauma is
very similar in pathophysiology to crush injuries and if not recognized and
treated quickly can lead to sudden cardiac arrest when the patient is lowered to
the ground and pressure is released from the harness that compresses the femoral
arteries of the legs.
Various
Berlin EMS personnel attended both classes and should be commended for
volunteering their time and roughing out the last few cold nights of the class
to obtain this unique and beneficial training.
If you could not attend either of the windmill events be sure to ask
around to learn more about the challenges and rescue options in place when it
comes to dealing with this type of incident.
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