A member of the technical rescue team repels from the top of the Saamis Tepee. (Photo Curtesy Aidan Boelsgaard)

By Aidan Boelsgaard

Medicine Hat firefighters train for rescues at Saamis Tepee

Oct 7, 2022 | 4:03 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The Medicine Hat Fire Services technical rescue team held a training session at the Saamis Tepee on Friday to get the team more comfortable with high-angle rescues.

The training began by rappelling from the top of the teepee to teach team members how to properly anchor their ropes and descend safely from the great height.

In the afternoon they switched gears from going down to going up the structure with their high-angle climbing training.

Senior firefighter and co-team lead for the technical rescue unit Dave Gibson said they hold training sessions like today once a month to focus on different situations like low-, medium- and high-angles. Tight space training where they work through small spaces or underground vaults was also covered.

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“Around Medicine Hat, we have a number of grain silos, a lot of catwalks and stuff like that in industry,” said Gibson. “So the high-angle environment definitely applies to that, we have to be able to access those people who are in those situations and be able to safely lower them down and get them back to the ground.”