BLACK RIVER, N.Y. — April 25th — Along with firemen from Castorland, New Bremen, and West Carthage, members of the Department Rutland Vol. Fire Dept. took part in rapid response team training at an acquired structure. Starting at 8 a.m., teams practiced removing victims from a second-floor window using a variety of rescue instruments and procedures while refreshing their abilities in search and rescue operations under smoke-filled conditions.

Firefighter safety, communication, collaboration, and coordinated rescue operations during working structure fires were the main topics of the training. Firefighters can better prepare for emergency circumstances involving trapped residents or firefighter rescue situations by using acquired structure drills, which offer realistic conditions. According to department officials, mutual aid coordination and operational readiness still depend on routine RIT training.