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New Waverly Fire Department trains with new equipment

Last Updated on April 10, 2021 by New Waverly Fire Department

SOURCE: News release from New Waverly Fire Department

The forecast for Saturday morning had initially called for rain with a chance of thunderstorms. The New Waverly Fire Department (NWFD) Training team was happy to see dry conditions.

Miami Township, the area East of Logansport in Cass County, has a lot of areas with difficult terrain or barriers to access. NWFD Firefighters spent Saturday morning training with their new equipment that was purchased just for those conditions. The rope rescue equipment including ropes, harnesses, hardware is a new arrival at NWFD.

“We had several volunteers who had taken the initiative to obtain state Rope Rescue Operations and Technician Level certifications, but until recently we didn’t have the equipment on the trucks for them to put their skills to work” said Rocky Buffum, Fire Chief for NWFD. “We were able to purchase the equipment needed, put on a series of trainings with both of certified and non certified personnel, and used today as a kind of final exam to make sure everything was where it needed to be.”

Saturday also served as a sort of Train the Trainer for the departments Instructors, firefighters who have completed additional training to conduct certification courses at NWFD. “We are fortunate these personnel have put in hundreds of hours they have to take these extra courses beyond basic fire training, which is already hundreds of hours of training by itself. We now have the ability to do in house certification training in rope rescue on demand without having to hire outside vendors or rely on outside folks to come in” Buffum said. “We want to use our taxpayers funds as efficiently as we can.” The hours spent obtaining these certifications were unpaid hours done as volunteers. Buffum explained the department is fortunate to have so many people who are as passionate as they are about serving their township.

The department reports there are a few incidents a year where these skills can play a critical role in helping those in need. Last year someone fell off the US24 bridge over the Wabash River, and needed rescued from the bottom of a hill 20-30 feet down. In another instance, a car was hit by a train in the area of 600 East and Logansport Road. The train and car came to a stop hundreds of feet down the tracks in an area without road access or a good place to walk in.

Still, Buffum further explained the departments goal is not to keep training to itself.

“Now we have our internal check offs completed, we plan to reach out to the neighboring departments we respond with every day. We want to have a multi department effort to come together and help those in need, whether they are in our service area or one next door.” Buffum explained the department plans to conduct training monthly to keep skills fresh, and they look forward to inviting other firefighters, EMS and all public safety partners to participate if they are able and willing to do so. “Not everyone has to be on the end of the rope. Sometimes what we need is extra people to pull the rope back up the hill when someone says pull.”

NWFD is a nonprofit organization providing fire, EMS and rescue services to Eastern Cass County since 1943. The department is always accepting volunteer applications. The department also has a training and equipment fund that accepts donations to enable the department to enhance the services it provides to the citizens of Miami Township, and thru mutual aid neighboring jurisdictions.

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