Real life training

HARTINGTON — Hartington volunteer firemen and EMTs put in quite a few hours of training each year to maintain their certifications and to make sure they are up to date on the latest techniques.

The two agencies held a mock disaster drill Aug. 4.

The drill forced emergency services teams to use ropes to climb down a steep ravine for a car that had gone off the road southwest of the Hartington airport.

Once they reached the bottom they had to make sure there was no fire or chance of an explosion, and then tend to their patients.

'We made sure they had an airway, breathing and circulation,' said EMT Marilyn Thoene. 'We determined two were able to talk and tell us where they hurt. We assessed their injuries and prepared them for the carrier and firemen to take them up to the top of the ravine, where we could continue our assessment on each patient.'

Other training sessions have included a grain bin rescue, and a mock rescue after a semi truck and a school bus collision.

Hartington Volunteer Fire Chief Ryan Marsh said he is very pleased with the effort the volunteer force put in Monday, and always puts in.

'We're blessed with a lot of good guys. And these guys put a lot of hard work and that kind of goes unnoticed,' he said. 'There are a lot of hours put into training, and fixing and maintaining the equipment.' Marsh said a training exercise like this can really have a big affect on the younger firefighters.

“Something like this does open the eyes for the guys,” he said. “It can be a lot of physical work, and you’ve got to be prepared for it.”

Even though there are 39 volunteer firefighters on the local squad, an event like this shows the local department needs all the help it can get, Marsh said.

“A thing like this shows how thin we can get,” he said. “In a real situation like that, we would have been calling for mutual aid. A call like this, we would have had at least two other EMS squads from different towns and I probably would have brought in one other department just for the manpower.”

Marsh said the local emergency squads are always training for various emergencies, but there will always be a surprise pop up, he said.

“We try to prepare for everything we can. These guys work hard at what they do. This is hands-down one of the most intense volunteer positions you’re going to be in. We are very blessed with all of the good volunteers there are in this community.”