Salisbury Firefighters take on Rope Rescue Training

Salisbury, Md. – Over the past six months, a group of Salisbury firefighters has completed a 90-hour rope rescue technician course through the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute.

“That’s being conducted right at their facility on Cypress Street, which is Station 16. That’s a great facility. They have another couple of stories on their training tower. We’ve got a three-story training tower. They’ve got a five-story training tower,” said James Jester, regional coordinator for the Lower Eastern Shore Regional Training Center.

Jester also said the course benefits the Salisbury Fire Department as the city grows.

Chris Boston, a driver-paramedic, added that buildings like The Ross will only continue to rise over the area.

“And it’s not just buildings. I mean, we have water towers around here, towers, anything, that we could be called to anywhere on the East Coast once we all get to a certain level of training,” he said.

Salisbury Fire Department Lt. Kyle Gray said the course is aggressive.

“It definitely takes a certain level of training because, I mean, our lives are on the line just as much as anybody. We’re going to rescue. So it’s very in-depth,” he said.

Once the firefighters complete the program, they will be added to an elite group of 20 members in the Salisbury Fire Department’s Special Operations Team.

The program is set to conclude Wednesday.