Emergency Personnel in N.C. Train for Water Rescues

July 29--MAYSVILLE -- The Old Quarry near the Maysville City Limits is a spot for boaters and fishers. For members of the Maysville Fire and EMS this past weekend, it was a training area to prepare for boating and fishing trips gone awry.

The training program, provided by the REDS (Rescue Extrication Delivery Specialists) Team of Garner -- a rescue and rescue training organization that serves North Carolina -- and Lenior Community College, taught members of the organization how to operate rescue boats and how to tend to people injured and in the water.

According to Maysville Fire and EMS Chief Michael Jordan, the training exercises began three years ago, soon after Hurricane Irene struck the North Carolina coast. Jordan said these training exercises are a necessity since two rivers, the White Oak and Trent, as well as several lakes run through Jones County. Flooding, he said, can get serious.

The class, which was offered free of charge to members of the first-response community, is part of Lenoir Community College's Public Safety School; and participants are eligible for their Water Rescue and Recovery certificate. The class' coordinator, Lisa Stewart, occupational extension and curriculum instructor at the college's Jones County Center in Trenton, said the classes are a necessity not only because of Jones County's proximity to the water, but because because the law mandates it for EMS employees and volunteers.

First responders in North Carolina affiliated with rescue organizations cannot participate in water rescue operations without Water Rescue and Recovery certification, she said.

Civilians are not bound by those constraints because of Good Samaritan laws, according to Stewart.

"These classes keep all of our squads and our members at a high level of ability to rescue or do the work that's required," Stewart said. "(The rivers and lakes in Jones County) are highly recreational areas so we have to be prepared to take care of the people that enjoy the natural resources that we have."

On Saturday and Sunday at the quarry, first responders went out on inflatable rescue boats and were walked through potential rescue situations, including rescue swimming and bringing an unconscious victim to safety. Participants also learned how to drive the rubber rescue boats.

Billy Hurley, captain with Jones County EMS, said he enjoyed the the program because of its hands-on style.

"Everything that (REDS Team does) is a hands-on demonstration," said Hurley. "We do kind of a crawl, walk, run kind of scenario."

This was the first time Jennifer Knowles, a volunteer with Jones County EMS, has participated in the training exercise with the Jones County EMS. Knowles, originally from Rochester, New York, moved to Maysville less than a year ago with her husband, a Camp Lejeune Marine.

Knowles, who says she weighs approximately 100 pounds and is 5-feet, 6-inches tall, said she learned it's technique, not size, that saves lives out on the water.

"I didn't have any expectations coming into this," Knowles said. "I've done a lot more than I was capable of."

Luke Steele, a captain with the REDS Team, said turnout for training in Jones County is unique due to the comparatively higher volume of volunteers. Steele said REDS Team has also taught classes in wilderness rescue in Jones County.

"The folks in this county are enthusiastic," Steele said. "We have good attendance in our classes, and it's a fun place to teach."

Jordan said approximately 18 people came to the Old Quarry for training over the weekend. That's near-average turnout for REDS Team training, according to Steele, who said he hopes Maysville's citizens will know that emergency responders will be ready the next time someone finds themselves on the water and in trouble.

"If we're called ... we'll do it it in a professional, timely and safe manner," Jordan said.

Copyright 2014 - The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.