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Chester County Rescue Task Force

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West Chester, PA
Chester County Rescue Task Force

Formed in 2009 by Chester County Fire Chief's Association to provide an Advanced Technical Response

To help mitigate special rescue incidents, such as confined space, trench/excavation,
rope/low and high-angle, ice, swiftwater/flood, mass transportation and structural collapse rescues

07/07/2026

Shortly before 8:45pm on July 6, 2026, Station 72 was dispatched to assist Liberty Fire Co., Spring City Station 63 with a vehicle into a structure in East Vincent Twp. Crews from Station 47 (Lionville Fire Company) and Station 53 (Fame Fire Co. No. 3) arrived and after a structural assessment installed a temporary two-post vertical shore to support the structure.

06/07/2026

This month’s Technical Rescue Drill was a confined space rescue entry exercise held at one of West Goshen Sewer Authority’s pumping station in West Goshen Twp. The exercise premise involved a downed worker 30-40 feet below grade that required rescue. Members from Fame Fire Co. No. 3 and Lionville Fire Company received an incident briefing and were given assignments. Crews conducted a quick size up and developed a rescue plan. Air monitoring and ventilation was performed along with lock-out/tag-out procedures. The entry team was secured to a rope system and a supplied air line and hard-wire communication system and made entry. The rescue team quickly assessed the “victim” and secured him in a rescue device. Outside teams hauled the package out of the space and safely retrieved the rescuers. Once crews hydrated and doffed their equipment, a review of operations was conducted. We constantly train to perform at a high level for these low-frequency/high-risk events.

We greatly appreciate West Goshen Twp and the West Goshen Sewer Authority for permitting us to use one of their facilities for this training.

03/07/2026

The Team held its monthly training this morning. After a presentation by our EMS physician on medical management for patients in technical rescue incidents, we then traveled to the training site where a simulated structural collapse was staged. Squads were established and tasks assigned. Squads had to detect and locate the “victims” and then gain access to and assess the “victims”. Crews determined that there were several non-viable “victims and one viable “victim” who required advanced care from our medical team while our rescue specialists worked to “free up” the victim and then package and extricate from the collapsed area. This challenging evolution required members to operate in cramped spaces while still providing expert care. Close coordination between the Rescue Group and the
Medical Group provides the victim with the best chance of survival.

Crews also reviewed a few new tools recently added to the equipment cache.

12/18/2025

Rescue Task Force personnel assisted Union Fire Company No. 1 ~ Oxford, PA Station 21 with this late morning incident in East Nottingham Township. Additional USAR assets from New Castle County also responded. The victim was successfully rescued and transported as Chester County Rescue Task Force units arrived on scene.

12/08/2025

Trench rescues happen infrequently, but can have devastating consequences. These high-risk, low-frequency events require specialized equipment and highly trained personnel to obtain a successful conclusion. While we may not be able to save everyone, we will spare no effort to attempt to do so safely and effectively.

Address

351 Snyder Ave
West Chester, PA
19382

Website

facebook.com

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