On Friday, 16 March 2007, several members of our Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team, North Carolina Task Force 4, headed to Charlotte to participate in a drill at what used to be East Bible College. This two-story abandoned structure has served as a training site all week for numerous agencies representing several counties, including specialized rescue teams, fire, EMS, law enforcement, and emergency management personnel.
Our team drew a night evolution, so we packed up and left from Station 3 around noon on Friday afternoon. After stopping at Troutman Fire Department to pick up a few more team members and the tractor-trailer filled with USAR equipment, then fighting Charlotte Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic, we finally arrived at the training center around 5pm. We only got about an hour of down-time before dinner, which was provided by the North Carolina Baptist Men organization. We headed to the training site around 8p.
After the initial briefing, we got to work. We had to enter the building on one side (and of course, not through a doorway - it was up a ladder, through a hole, across a debris field, through some more holes and narrow spaces), then work our way across the building by breaching walls, ceilings and floors to the victim location. And of course everywhere we went we had to construct the appropriate shoring to ensure stability of the damaged structure. We only got a couple short breaks during the 12-hour work period, and by the time dawn was starting to break, the team had almost made it to the victim - but not quite. We learned though that none of the other teams that had participated had made it to their victims within their work periods either, so the evolutions were challenging indeed.
It was tough to get pictures at night, but I managed to get a few. Click the thumbnails to view a larger image in a separate browser window.
 We arrived at Troutman Fire Department shortly after lunch |
 Here we picked up the big USAR toolbox on wheels |
 They have some nice looking trucks |
 The little bus.... |
 ...the big bus... |
 ...and the Scooter-mobile! |
 Troutman's get-around 6-wheeler |
 And this little hand cart which would turn out to REALLY be useful at this drill! |
 Settling down in the training center... |
 ...for just an hour of shut-eye |
 Supper time! (Adam Stuart, Mark Coats, Kevin Butts, Red Grasso, Debbie Hilliard) |
 We arrived at the drill site shortly after 8p |
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 Greensboro's team (NCTF-5) was just leaving as we arrived, they had done the day-time shift |
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 Red Grasso |
 The Mule |
 Members get suited up (Rob Taylor, Adam Stuart, Kevin Butts) |
 Shannon Davis, Kirk Miller, Scott Criddle |
 Tom Billig joined our team for the evolution |
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 Lumber, lumber, and more lumber |
 This would be our entry point to the structure |
 A previous team had already built the ladder and platform... |
 ...and breached the exterior wall |
 That hole came out onto this debris field... |
 ...which we had to pick our way across to the next opening... |
 ...which led over a hole then under a platform and finally into the room in which we were to begin. Our first task was very well defined for us. |
 After drilling out an inspection hole and taking a peek with the camera, we knocked out the wall |
 But before anyone could cross the threshold into the next room, we had to shore the opening |
 Once in the next room, we found our next task. We had to shore up this section, then breach the ceiling to proceed to the upper floor. |
 Team members work on attaching gussets |
 With a double-header and posts made of 6x6 timbers, it took a lot of heave-ho-ing to erect each side of the lace post shore |
 A closer look at the top of the shore |
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 Lace post shore built by a previous team |
 Here's another one that was built by a different team |
 A closer look at the top of the other team's shoring |
 On the outside, someone had erected this nice shelter for the cutting station |
 One of the many saws from Troutman's USAR trailer |
 Shannon Davis |
 Once the shore was built, the team cut through the ceiling and breached a hole to the next floor |
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 On the upper floor, the team had to go across the room, breach a hole through the floor and come back down... |
 ...then breach another hole to get down to the basement level. I think the victim was only one more wall-breach away, but in order to do that the team would have had to build two more lace post shores. Since we had already been working well over 10 hours, and knew it would take a couple hours to get all the equipment out of the building, cleaned up, and back on the trucks, the decision was made to call the drill here. |
 A better look in the daylight |
 Some of Charlotte FD's many toys |
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 These tents housed logistics, rehab, and several other functions |
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 Fueling up before the trip home, courtesy of Charlotte FD's fuel truck |
Copyright 2007 NCFirewolf