BY CARY DARNELL
The prevalence of construction makes the potential for cave-ins high. Responders called to help with rescue or recovery in these incidents are at risk for injury and death. Trench rescue may not happen often, but when it does occur, you should be adequately prepared so that you can effect rescue or recovery safely and efficiently.
When we are called to a structure fire, whether in an occupied dwelling, a vacant building, or an office that is not supposed to be occupied at night, we have to search to make sure no one is in the structures. But, our main job is extinguishment. In a trench incident, on the other hand, we know while en route that someone is trapped, or we would not have been called. We tend to think such an emergency won't occur in our community.
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