U.S Army Soldiers from the Marietta-based 201st Regional Support Group, Georgia Army National Guard participated in the course known as “Swift Water Rescue One and Two” in Marietta, Ga. Oct. 5-9, 2020. The course trains students in lifesaving techniques in flood waters or swift waters caused by hurricanes.
The Marietta Fire Department designed the course in 2009, and they taught it to the firemen in their department. As the firemen continued to refine and revise the class procedures, they opened the course to other agencies, fire departments and the military. The Marietta Fire Department holds the class along the Chattahoochee River which flows at approximately 2,000 cubic feet of water per second. The course has proven to be a critical source of knowledge for real life scenarios.
“We’ve had rescues where people float down on rafts that are not capable of sustaining rough rapids, and we end having to rescue them off of the river,” said Blaine Whealey, a fireman with the Marietta Fire Department. “Generally, when sleds come through, the river flows at about 10,000 cubic feet per second.”
The Soldiers that trained during this iteration of the Swift Water Rescue One and Two are the first to come from the 201st RSG. The Soldiers trained with the Marietta Fire Department in anticipation of using various methods of rescuing victims in different environments. The class participants spent five days of instruction on safety familiarization and identifying hazards. They also learned how to utilize the tools needed for combat swimming and rescue operations on rafts.
“If ever a flood were to happen during hurricane season, I think these skills would be necessary with the team we have for a quick response,” said U.S. Army Spc. Yocoyani Villela, a military policeman with the Decatur-based 170th Military Police Battalion. “We now have the skills that we need as opposed to stand back and wait for help.”
Once the class concluded, the students received certificates as awards for hurdling through the physically demanding lessons. The firefighters aspire to teach the course annually to certify more qualified rescuers during natural disaster missions.
“The Soldiers were wonderful and were a pleasure to work with” said Blaine Whealey. “ I thank them for their positive attitude and hard work during these strenuous conditions.
U.S. Army Story by: Sgt. Jeron Walker