Comprehensive confined space rescue training unit rolls out to firefighters



LAWRENCE — Kansas fire and rescue personnel are rolling out a safe and comprehensive, real-world confined space training program through a $35,000 grant from ONE Gas Foundation. The donation has allowed the Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute (KFRTI) to outfit its new, custom-made Confined Space Rescue Training Unit — a semi-trailer paid for with a $475,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security. KFRTI is part of KU Professional & Continuing Education, and the donation was made possible through KU Endowment.

“ONE Gas is committed to safety and making our communities better places to live,” said Margaret Steele, community relations manager for Kansas Gas Service, a division of ONE Gas. “We’re grateful for the work of Kansas Fire and Rescue Training Institute and are proud to provide funding to support invaluable training to benefit our firefighting partners across the state, our employees and others who may enter confined spaces to work or perform rescues.” 

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), more than 60% of confined space fatalities are those attempting to rescue others. The term “confined space” is defined by specific characteristics:

  1. Large enough for someone to enter and perform work.
  2. Limited or restricted means for entry or exit.
  3. Not designed for continuous occupancy.

Confined spaces may include silos, hoppers, tanks, water supply towers, sewers, truck or rail tank cars, boilers, manholes, storage bins and a host of other locations. These spaces may be accessed by workers on the job or by adults or children not authorized to access them. The dangers that can be present in confined spaces include a toxic atmosphere, oxygen deficiency or enrichment, flammable or explosive elements, flowing liquids or excessive heat.

According to Ben Green, KFRTI Technical Rescue program coordinator, there is a potential for confined space rescues to happen across the state all the time.

“From a tank filled with molasses to a kid in a storm drain, Kansas firefighters respond to all instances of people trapped in spaces where the environment within the confined space can cause injury, unconsciousness and even death,” Green said.

With the ONE Gas Foundation donation, they can buy the state-of-the-art equipment they need to offer dozens of confined space rescue training opportunities in a safe, controlled environment conducive to learning. 

“We’re a mobile training unit,” Green said. “So, this trailer will go all over the state, and we will likely be able to bring it to areas where confined space training was not available before.”

Green said he is especially excited about these features:

  • Gas protectors have an instructor and student model so when a student goes in, the instructor can change the gas from outside.
  • Adjustable ports so the instructor can adjust crawl-through holes at each end — from 18 to 30 inches
  • Students can transition into three different levels within the trailer, each with a ramp of around 35 degrees taking them from one floor to the other. Instructors can change the training unit to dictate to students what they are required to do and once they are inside the unit, quickly assign them to do a variety of rescue skills.
  • A heating and cooling system helps maintain an acceptable temperature, so training can take place throughout the hot summer months and longer in the fall.

Green said he is working with instructors to backward design a curriculum for various confined space rescue operations. He estimates the first students will begin training in the new unit by the end of March.

Any fire department or training officer who wants to host a confined space rescue training class should contact KFRTI to set up available dates. Once the dates for trainings are set, they’ll post on the KUPCE website and others can enroll in the class nearest them. Green said classes require a minimum of 15, with a maximum of 21. Kansas firefighters only pay the $20 certification fee for the three-day training, which includes a fourth day for testing. Green noted that students must have already passed the introduction to technical rescue class before taking confined space training.

“We’ll be able to show firefighters how to rescue in confined spaces and how to get by with minimal equipment and with state-of-the-art equipment,” Green said. “It will allow them to become much more proficient in using these gas detectors and monitors.”

The big benefit, Green said, is for the citizens of Kansas because they will have better-trained firefighters so they can respond to these types of situations and effectively rescue people.

KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

Photo: The new, custom-built KFRTI Confined Space Rescue Training Unit is rolling out to Kansas firefighters equipped with the latest equipment through a donation from ONE Gas Foundation.

 

Fri, 02/21/2020

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By Hannah Lemon

Media Contacts

Hannah Lemon

KU Edwards Campus

913-897-8755