Self-Guiding Tour

#12   Special Operations

Besides fighting fires, Winnipeg fire fighters respond to numerous amounts of specialty calls and rescue situations. These are commonly referred to as “Special Operations”, and they can be broken down into four categories: Rescue Squad, Water Rescue, Technical Rescue, and Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT).

Rescue Squad
Since 1929, Winnipeg has had a “rescue squad” truck in its fleet. This truck carried no firefighting equipment but had tools for cutting people out of automobiles and other hard-to-reach spaces, as well as searching for people during fires.

Water Rescue
Water Rescue response refers to situations where people have fallen into bodies of water such as rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes. This a year-round rescue team that also performs rescues on ice.

Technical Rescue
Technical Rescue teams deal with people who are trapped in hard-to-reach areas such as high-rise buildings or towers, bridges, collapsed trenches, and confined spaces. This team uses lots of rope techniques to reach people.

Hazardous Materials
The hazardous materials team (or “HAZMAT”) responds to calls involving chemicals and other dangerous substances, which have escaped their container, and may or may not be on fire. This team uses chemical-proof suits to mitigate a threat involving dangerous materials as well as lots of scientific measurement tools to determine what the chemical is so appropriate action can be taken and remove the safety threat to people, the environment, and property.

Each team, in addition to having specialty-built vehicles for their respective tasks, goes through a 3-tier department-run training program. Level 1 training, being the lowest level, is taught to all fire fighters to identify the associated risks and conduct basic operations. Level 3 training is the highest and teaches firefighters how to perform all aspects of their specialty tasks in a safe way. This level of training is only required when joining the respective specialty team.

Your Donations Keep Our Engines Running

The Winnipeg Firefighters Museum aims to entertain and educate our visitors about the current processes and historical stories of the fire service. The museum relies on your donations in order to continue with the mission of the Winnipeg Firefighters Historical Society. Please follow the link below to make a secure, charitable donation.

© 2019 The Firefighters Historical Society of Winnipeg | Reproduction of the site in part or in whole prohibited unless with written permission. All rights reserved.