Drill Hones Firefighters' Skills in O.C.

By MADDY VITALE Ocean City Firefighter Ryan Clark scaled a 110-foot-high ride called Double Shot at Playland’s Castaway Cove. Clark secured the victim with riggings and carefully lowered him to the safety of firefighters below Monday morning. The “victim” was Ocean City Fire Capt. Brent Meisenhelter and, luckily, it was just a drill, but one that firefighters say helps prepare them for highly technical rescues should something like that really happen. About 20 firefighters from Ocean City, Cape May City and Wildwood joined at Playland’s Castaway Cove on the Ocean City Boardwalk for training Monday as part of the county Regional Urban Search Team’s efforts to provide technical rope rescue training to firefighters in the region. Clark called the training critical. It will continue Tuesday. “It definitely gets you out of your comfort zone. I like doing the training because it is for a worst-case scenario, but something we all should know how to do. We call it another tool in the toolbox,” Clark said. He continued, “It gives us hands-on training, not to mention the fact that it is not every day that you are climbing over 100 feet and rappelling back down.” Firefighters stand ready to take the "victim" to safety during the simulation. The training is done yearly, but this is the first time firefighters are holding the exercises in Ocean City, noted Ocean City Fire Capt. Ray Clark, Ryan’s brother. “We look for sites around the county to train on incidents that are highly technical. Last year we trained at Morey’s Piers (in Wildwood),” Ray Clark said. Specifically, the firefighters were practicing skills using the amusement rides to simulate real-life scenarios that not only could involve rides, but instances where buildings are just as high. The Double Shot that Ryan Clark scaled propels riders up 110 feet and brings them down slowly. The height of the ride is similar to a water tower, cellphone tower or a high-rise building. Firefighters' gear is spread out over the mats to be used throughout two days of drills. Utilizing the amusement park rides for real-life emergencies is all part of good training, Ray Clark explained. “We are honing our skills to apply to different locations,” he said. Lowering people to safety from the tall ride was just one scenario the firefighters simulated during the drills Monday. They simulated an emergency in which firefighters had to move people from a distance to safety. They attached ropes in a pulley system from one ride -- the High Seas -- to another ride adjacent to it. “This is not something that could happen quickly,” Clark explained of the safety system firefighters designed. “You need to get someone from point A to point B. You can equate it to someone stuck on a ski lift. It is a more emergent matter, but it takes time to set up and build.” Capt. Ray Clark stands on the walkway of the High Seas amusement ride as firefighters practice securing the ropes above. Clark emphasized that the drills really give firefighters an opportunity to learn about Playland’s systems and rides. There are 32 rides in the popular amusement park and a steady volume of guests entering and leaving the property on peak summer months. Playland is well-prepared for emergencies, Clark noted. “They have equipment to reach people on the Gale Force roller-coaster, which is 125 feet high,” he said. Each ride has a walkway on the side of it, allowing riders and operators to get up or down the ride safely should the ride, for example, lose power. “They are very proactive at Playland,” Clark said. Playland’s Castaway Cove Vice President Brian Hartley said when Ray Clark called him about doing the drills at the park, he thought it was a really good idea. “Hopefully we never need to go through this for real.” Hartley said. He said the Ocean City Fire Department keeps current on the access points, rides and shut-offs for different areas of the park. Firefighters work on securing ropes to create a pulley system from the ride to the High Seas amusement. However, Hartley stressed that training at the park continues efforts to sharpen the firefighters’ skills should they be needed at the property or in other real-life emergencies. “These guys do walk-throughs to see the best access at Playland. They are very prepared for the volumes of people on the Boardwalk and here,” Hartley said. Tim Moore, a firefighter in Cherry Hill, works for Safety & Survival Training LLC, the company working with firefighters throughout the two days to teach them techniques and give tips on how to best do the drills. “We call this a target hazard program,” Moore said of the drills. “We will come in and assess everything here and simulate different scenarios for firefighters. These are low frequency, high risk training drills, but it trains you to be ready if something does happen.” For more information about training drills visit www.safetyandsurvivaltraining.com.