Sacramento Metro Fire rescue team expanding after Scandia roller coaster rescue
NORTH HIGHLANDS — It was quite the scene in North Highlands last week when a group of teenage girls was trapped on a roller coaster at Scandia. Now, the group of firefighters who brought them to safety is expanding its team and expertise.
During a Sacramento Metro Fire Rescue Team training exercise, they handle everything from rope rescues, trench rescues, building collapses and tower rescues.
Their training came in handy when four teens were stuck 35 feet in the air at Scandia Fun Center.
"Using one of our ladder trucks and members from our rescue program, they went up and were able to secure the car and make sure it was safe, and then they were able to safely get the civilians down," said Captain Matt Sammons with Metro Fire.
In a way, Metro Fire's rescue team is considered to be like the Navy Seals — they are brought in for very special operations.
"We've gone up into El Dorado County and assisted with horse rescues, we've had two people trapped in a water treatment plant, and we had to do a confined space entry," Sammons said.
And now they will be able to handle even more as the team is expanding to include 110 members. Their training consists of seven core classes.
"We can break through concrete. We have search cameras. We can look into void spaces. We have a lot of extra equipment on our rescue," Sammons said.
It's now a larger, more specialized team for more specialized emergencies.
"As our community grows and outlying communities grow, there is a need for special rescue," Sammons said.
Metro Fire offers most of these courses in-house. Those that are not firefighters have to seek out these courses and pay for them themselves.