Walker County Fire Rescue Team Trains Georgian First Responders

Photo By Staff Sgt. Victor Everhart | Eric Ashburn, the assistant chief of the Walker County Fire Department, observes Georgian Emergency Management Services first responders repel down a mountain side during the Rope Rescue One course held in Racha, Georgia. The course, which is taught in two separate classes include introduction to rope rescue and introduction to technical rescue. “The Georgian Emergency Management Services first responders we’ve trained out here were really excited to learn and very receptive to this new skill that can be used with such a mountainous country,” said Ashburn. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Victor Everhart Jr.)  

AMBROLAURI, GEORGIA

09.02.2022

Story by Staff Sgt. Victor Everhart 

124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Emergency responders from the Walker County Fire Rescue team, located in the State of Georgia, traveled to Ambrolauri, Georgia to instruct and train Georgian Emergency Management Service first responders in the expertise of high-angle rescue on Sept. 2, 2022.

This ten-day course aims to train Georgian EMS first responders on the basics of high-angle rescue. High Angle Rescue is a technical rescue tactic performed by trained professionals in the fire and emergency services field. In today’s environment, rescuers face the possibility of performing high-angle rescues such as high-rise buildings, mountainous terrain, and cell towers on a more consistent basis.

The Country of Georgia has multiple mountain ranges and high-rise buildings, so sharing and employing these rescue tactics are extremely useful and necessary.

Georgian Emergency Management Services first responders will be able to employ these specialized tactics when approaching difficult rescue situations requiring this specific rescue tactic.

“The Georgian first responders have been great,” said Eric Ashburn, the assistant chief of Walker County Fire Rescue. “They’ve been very receptive to the training and understand how important this skill set can be for them and their countrymen. With the number of mountains and high-rise buildings in this region and across the country, they’ll be able to utilize this training to save lives immediately.”

Comprehensive defense means that people are organized to defend the country against all forms of attack, both military and non-military. The high-angle rescue training is just a small quantity of the efforts the State of Georgia is facilitating to help the Georgians achieve their comprehensive defense plan.

Marietta Fire and Rescue team members executed their second year of swift water rescue training in conjunction with the high-angle rescue training.

“The State of Georgia has been partners with the Country of Georgia for 28 years, and we have a long history of civilian partnerships,” said Maj. Daniel Sekula, Bilateral Affairs Officer, Office of Defense Cooperation-Tbilisi. “Currently, we have three civilian organizations working within Georgia under our resiliency efforts, Marietta Fire and Rescue, Walker County Fire Rescue, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.”
The Office of Defense Cooperation has initiated a pilot program in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region of Georgia. This program aims to strengthen the interoperability of ministries, medical infrastructure, disaster preparedness, and emergency response.

This three-year program aims to make a stronger, more resilient Georgia and build the foundation for future initiatives across the country.

• Date Taken: 09.02.2022
• Date Posted: 09.08.2022 02:49
• Story ID: 428788
• Location: AMBROLAURI, GE