Members of the 30th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department, from Vandenberg Air Force base, recently participated in a comprehensive Urban Search and Rescue exercise at Allan Hancock College’s public safety training complex, Feb. 2.
As part of a regional US&R team, Vandenberg firefighters trained alongside counterparts from local departments — focusing on locating, extracting and stabilizing victims trapped in confined spaces.
“Building or structure collapse events, due to earthquakes, gas explosions or even terrorism, provide California firefighters with a clear and present threat,” said Mark Farias, 30th CES fire chief. “No single agency can mobilize and deploy the resources necessary to contend with such a disaster scenario. This is why mutual aid agreements exist and this is why the Santa Barbara Regional Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, along with Ventura County, conducted this challenging exercise.”
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