Visit us at WWW.FFCA.ORG 27 F lorida Urban Search and Rescue (FLUSAR) rescued two victims from a simulated building collapse. 18 new Task Force members were certified in Structural Collapse rescue after 120 hours of training. These technicians worked on individual skills and then put it all together with a 24-hour training scenario where a hurricane caused a building collapse. The crews were called to a three-story building with reports of victims trapped on the third floor. Rescue technicians used raker shores to stabilized the exterior wall, once stabilized they breached a reinforced concrete wall with drills and torches, and had to secure each floor prior to advancing to the trapped victims. Crews worked seamlessly to install temporary struts and replace them with custom cut wood shoring as they moved through the building. After overcoming many difficult obstacles the new FLUSAR Structural Collapse technicians removed the victims safely and learned many new skills in the process. This course is part of ongoing disaster preparedness training for the State of Florida Region 4 domestic security. Thank you and congratulations to the Firefighters that participated from Hillsborough, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Pasco County. By Jessica Coy, Public Relations Officer, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue April 2018 FFS.QXD 4/10/18 1:56 PM Page 27