OLDS — A rescue symposium held annually in Olds expanded this year to become bigger and better, a spokesman says.
This year, for the first time, the event, during which firefighters and other rescue personnel learn tips on how best to rescue trapped people in various situations was expanded.
Participants learn how to do heavy rescue/extrication, advanced light vehicle extrication, farm extrication and livestock management in rescue scenarios.
The event, run by the Alberta Vehicle Extrication Association (AVEA) is now called the Western Canadian Rescue Symposium.
It’s held in cooperation with Olds Fire Department at the OFD firefighter training grounds at the west end of Olds.
About 160 students from across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, as well as the U.S. attended this year’s edition, held June 20-23.
“The symposium went very well as planned,” AVEA chairman and course developer Randy Schmitz wrote in an email.
“The focus was on heavy vehicle entrapment, cars on the edge, confined space with entrapment, Impalements with sign posts, (a) B-train rollover, large truck cab extrication, car in a coach bus and an under-ride with a bus, farm implement entrapment, livestock trailer rollover response, and a few others. We added in a jack-knifed B train situation this year.”
