01/12/2026
Over the past three days, seven members of the Rescue Squad attended the 1st Annual East Coast Technical Rescue Conference in Norfolk VA. The conference was organized and hosted by the Technical Rescue Association of Virginia.
Members drove down to Norfolk, arriving Thursday evening. The conference started Friday morning, with courses presented all day Friday and Saturday, and until 1215 this afternoon. Members attended eighteen different educational programs over the three days. Topics included human performance in rescue operations, EMS in technical rescue, agricultural emergencies, urban flood rescue, confined space rigging, large animal rescue, rope rescue, case studies of earthquake responses and trench rescues, arborist rescue, heavy vehicle lifting operations, and UAV's in SAR Ops. When not in class, members spoke with the manufacturers and vendors who had equipment on display and otherwise shared in the brotherhood of the many technical rescue providers in attendance.
Rescue Squad Chief Tom Hoffman, Rescue Capt Gary Breuer, Rescue Lt John Phelan, FF/EMT James Crampton, FF/EMT Brian Dettra, FF/EMT James Breuer, and FF/EMT James Regan attended the program. Regan also presented a session on arborist rescue operations.
THE TRAINING NEVER ENDS...