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Utah County heavy rescue students perform a car extrication training exercise at Provo Fire & Rescue on Friday, March 29, 2024.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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Heavy rescue students perform a hole rescue, in which a simulated victim was stuck after working in water, during an open house Friday, March 29, 2024.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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Heavy rescue students rappel down a hole as part of a simulation to rescue victim who slipped and fell during an open house Friday, March 29, 2024.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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Heavy rescue students perform a hole rescue, in which a simulated victim was stuck after working in water, during an open house Friday, March 29, 2024.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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It’s been a busy couple of weeks for fire and rescue teams in Utah County due to a recent string of complex incidents requiring special training.

Some of the rescue efforts were performed by first responders who have been learning the ropes in Utah County’s Heavy Rescue School. The specialized training prepares them for the Utah County Special Response Team.

The inaugural class is made up of rescuers from different fire departments in Utah County, including Lehi, Saratoga Springs, American Fork, Lone Peak, Pleasant Grove and Provo.

Capt. Devan Tandy of Provo Fire & Rescue explained that the heavy rescue course instructs on ropes, confined spaces, vehicle extrication, man versus machine and trench rescue.

On March 20, an American Fork duplex went up in flames after an apparent explosion.

Local agencies, including students from the Heavy Rescue School, worked together to ensure it was safe for crews and investigators to go inside the torched structure.

Nearly one week later, on Tuesday, crews were called out to rescue a man from a collapsed trench in Cedar Hills.

In that instance, crews had to make sure the trench was safe for responders to access it to free the man.

“If we didn’t have great working relationships with all the different cities, we wouldn’t have the good outcomes like we did in Cedar Hills,” Tandy said.

Both incidents gave students real-life experiences to get in trenches and utilize what they’ve learned over the past month.

On Friday, more than a dozen trainees demonstrated two of the rescue scenarios they’ve learned.

In one, participants performed a rope rescue of a victim who had slipped, fell into a hole and become stuck on two pieces of rebar after working in water. They were tasked with rappelling down the hole, securing the victim and removing them from the hole.

“We did this training a couple of weeks ago and got them up to a technician level. And so it’s just repetition, repetition, experience, and then also practicing and refining their craft to make it safe for both them and the patient,” Tandy said.

In another simulated situation, rescuers extricated a driver from a car that drove off a parking structure.

An actual human was not used in these exercises.

As Utah County’s population grows, the critical role of heavy rescue will become more dire, fire officials say.

“Developing a more effective countywide response to the rising number of incidents requires a dedication to enhanced coordination and training, particularly in handling advanced technical scenarios,” Tandy stated in a press release.

Provo leaders also recognize the importance of this skillset.

Mayor Michelle Kaufusi said it’s the first time Provo has hosted a heavy rescue training school and open house, adding that it’s fascinating to see all the progress students have made.

“No one’s ever going to be mad at us for being too prepared. We believe in being prepared, and this collaboration bringing all these communities out is amazing,” Kaufusi told the Daily Herald.

As the seat of Utah County, Kaufusi said Provo wants to do all it can to step up when neighboring cities are in need.

“The beauty of Provo is we know our boundaries, but that’s not what Provo is about,” she said. “If there’s a call in another community in Utah County, we are there and the support is there.”

The support and resources also spans beyond Utah County.

Provo’s Heavy Rescue 21 currently serves as the sole heavy rescue unit between Utah County and St. George and is utilized statewide through the Urban Search and Rescue program, according to a press release.

Friday wrapped up a four-week course. Tandy said the group has been training five days a week and between 10-12 hours a day.

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