College of

Engineering, Architecture and Technology

 

Swiftwater rescue is one of the most dynamic, challenging and common rescues a first responder may face. All water rescue incidents are dynamic and require rapid and effective decision making to perform a successful and safe rescue.  Situational awareness is critical during water rescue incidents to ensure safety for the victim(s) and for the rescuers.

 

Swiftwater rescue is a specialized rescue discipline, which has principles and techniques that involve a difficult and dangerous environment.  Any time a swiftwater rescue incident occurs, it is considered to be a dangerous operation and there is extreme risk to all involved. The actions of the first arriving units form the foundation on which the incident will be built. A risk/benefit analysis should be conducted before initiating rescue operations.  The risk to the victim(s) and rescuers should be evaluated.  The risk to rescuers must include a true an honest assessment of the personnel on scene and their capabilities, along with the equipment immediately available and the training level of the responders.  

 

Oklahoma State University’s Fire Service Training will hold the 2023 Oklahoma Swiftwater Conference and Competition from August 28 – September 1 at RiverSport in Oklahoma City (OKC), OK.

 

The conference and competition is a unique opportunity for first responders from across the country to train and learn at the best water rescue training facility in the United States, RiverSport OKC.    The instructors bring real-world experience through multiple national deployments and local responses to water rescue incidents.  The last day will include a competition to allow participants to perfect the skills they learned in a competitive and challenging environment.

 

The conference instructors possess a vast knowledge of water rescue based on actual rescues and years of training in simulated and actual swiftwater environments.  The instructors have multiple hurricane and flood water responses locally and nationwide.  As rescuers and instructors, they have technical rescue expertise, specializing in swiftwater rescue operations for shore-based rescues, in-water technical rescues and boat operations.  These water rescue skills have been taught to firefighters, Urban Search & Rescue Teams, Law Enforcement and EMS personnel. 

 

The conference and competition offers the premiere opportunity to train personnel on techniques that are proven successful and safe in the most dynamic and dangerous water conditions.  RiverSport OKC offers a safe and challenging swiftwater training facility that can simulate the most difficult water rescue scenarios first responders may face.

 

The curriculum taught at the conference will be valuable to all first responders and will teach new, innovative and progressive rescue techniques.  Some of the classes include rescue boat maintenance and readiness, rescue swimmer skills, progressive rescue techniques (shore-based and in-water skills), vehicle in moving water, allocation of resources, incident command, high water vehicle usage and selection, and rescue raft paddling and usage.   The conference will also be valuable to first responders at all levels of training, from the newest responder to the most highly trained swiftwater technician/rescuer.  The lessons learned will improve the response capabilities of all attendees and provide for tactics and techniques that can be taken back and used in real scenarios. 

 

To learn more about the 2023 Swiftwater Conference and Competition, visit:  https://www.riversportokc.org/groups/swiftwater/ or contact Riki Manley at rikim@osufst.org