Heavy Rescue and Vehicle Stabilization: Hinsdale Firefighters and Hancock Field Crews Complete Joint Extrication Training

Hinsdale, NY - Firefighters teamed up for an intensive, hands-on technical rescue evolution Tuesday evening, focusing on advanced vehicle stabilization, structural lifting, and interagency interoperability.

On the evening of August 25, the Hinsdale Volunteer Fire Department welcomed personnel from Hancock Field Fire & Emergency Services (Engine 14) to conduct joint extrication and technical rescue training.

Under the instruction of Captain Poff and Lieutenant Miller, participating firefighters split into two functional teams to drill on the mechanics of high-pressure lifting airbags and mechanical rescue jacks. The evolutions centered on realistic scenarios involving heavy vehicle rollovers, structural entrapments, and unstable loads, requiring responders to coordinate precise stabilization angles, monitor load distribution, and execute controlled lifts.

The joint session emphasized equipment cross-familiarization, standardizing communications, and mutual tactical integration between municipal volunteer firefighters and specialized airport crash-fire-rescue (CFR) crews.

By practicing together on frontline equipment before an emergency occurs, both agencies reinforced seamless coordination on high-impact motor vehicle collisions and complex technical rescues across Onondaga County.