Tactical Services

Special Ops hazmat

Location:
910 Wisdom Street
Chattanooga, TN 37406 [map]

Overview
The Chattanooga Fire Department's (CFD) Special Operations Division, also referred to as Tactical Services, oversees special operations response and training for technical rescue operations, including:

Urban Search and Rescue (US&R)
Hazardous Materials
Marine Fire and Rescue
Vehicle Extrication
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

The Special Operations Division works closely with the CFD Operations and Training Divisions, as well as other departments and agencies to coordinate special operations for the fire department.

trench resuce
Trench rescue

Urban Search and Rescue Team
The CFD Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Team responds to many different types of technical rescue. These rescuers are firefighters that have received extensive training in these disciplines, including breaching and breaking, confined space entry and rescue, structural collapse rescue, high/low angle rope rescue, and trench/excavation collapse rescue. Often times, these disciplines meld together on scene, depending on the needed response.

The specialized USAR Team is comprised of firefighters who have received extensive training in each of the technical rescue areas, along with the apparatus and technical rescue equipment required to operate in high-hazard rescue environments.

rope training Rope rescue training

Special Ops ropes
Rope rescue training

Hazardous Materials Emergency Incident Response
Each member of the Chattanooga Fire Department has been trained to the required First Responders Awareness and Operations Levels for hazardous materials emergency response. They routinely respond to releases or potential releases of hazardous substances to protect nearby people, property, and/or the environment from the effects of the release. They are trained to respond in a defensive fashion, initiating protective actions, which include containment of the release from a safe distance, keeping it from spreading, and preventing exposures.

The Chattanooga Fire Department Hazardous Materials Incident Response Team includes personnel who have been trained to the Hazardous Materials Technician Level. The Hazardous Materials Incident Response Team responds to releases or potential releases of hazardous substances with specialized tools, equipment, and chemical protective clothing. They may be involved in defensive operations, initiating protective actions, or more offensive operations, which can include approaching the point of release to assess damage, plug, patch, or if possible stop the release or contain a hazardous substance.

Hazmat training

Marine Fire and Rescue
The CFD Water Rescue Divsion consists of two Stanley 24-foot aluminum fireboats. Each boat has a 560 gpm pump. They are designed to conduct victim rescues and deliver fire suppression. One is stationed on the Chickamauga Lake and the other is on the Tennessee Rver below the Chickamauga Dam. The firefighters on board are trained to perform fire suppression, EMS, and rescue from the boats.

CFD Fireboat 10

Emergency Medical Services
The CFD routinely responds to emergency medical incidents. Each of the department's fire stations are staffed and equipped to quickly respond and provide basic emergency medical care until an ambulance unit from Hamilton County Emergency Medical Services (HCEMS) arrives on the scene for transport of the patient to local hospitals. The CFD operates to the state-certified EMT-IV level of care.

EMS training

Vehicle Extrication
The Chattanooga Fire Department operates five Squad units, which are equipped to perform vehicle extrication and rescue. The Squad units maintain an inventory of specialized tools and equipment, which are used to extricate persons from entrapment in automobile and industrial accidents.

extircation

cfd extrication Vehicle extrication scenes

Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
The CFD has taken a leadership role in the development of many of the emergency preparedness and Homeland Security initiatives in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, and the southeast region of Tennessee. These initiatives include the establishment of local and regional capabilities to respond to large-scale disasters or terrorism incidents. These include hazardous materials and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) response, the USAR team, mass casualty/fatality incident management units, decontamination units, the marine fire-rescue vessel and the area's Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS). The CFD is also an active participant on the Hamilton County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). This group is active in the planning and preparation for emergencies, which may occur within the community.

CFD hazmat truck
CFD Hazmat 1