Crews have finished work on the $9 million Swift Water Flood Training Center in Oriskany, where New York’s first responders conduct training for flood rescues. (Photo credit: New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services flickr page)
ORISKANY, N.Y. — Training has started at the newly completed Swift Water Flood Training Center in Oriskany, where New York’s first responders conduct training for flood rescues.
It’s located at the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ (DHSES) State-Preparedness Training Center.
The facility is the “only training center of its kind dedicated to training the state’s fire, law enforcement, and EMS responders on the technical skills necessary to perform water rescues in controlled conditions,” the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a Monday news release. EMS is short for emergency medical services.
DHSES and the New York State Office of General Services partnered in the development of this facility, Cuomo’s office said. The project, “which was competitively bid,” cost $9 million and created about 100 construction jobs in the Mohawk Valley region.
“The completion of this advanced training center is a major step forward in our efforts to ensure first responders across the state are equipped with the expertise needed to protect New York’s communities,” Cuomo said. “As we prepare for the uncertainties of extreme weather, this unique facility will help provide the best training possible to keep New Yorkers safe.”
About the center
The training facility occupies about seven acres of property at the State-Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany. It includes a three-acre pond, a concrete swift water channel, and an urban flood simulator to allow rescue personnel to train in flooded streets and buildings.
The facility will support training in the various techniques and procedures necessary to undertake these rescue operations. They include shore-based rescue; “Go” rescues where rescue personnel enter the water or swim to complete the operation; aerial-rescue operations; and emergency boat maneuvers.
New York has more than 100,000 firefighters in 1,800 departments and 66,500 police officers in 580 departments that can use this facility to perform rescue operations in swift water or flooding scenarios.
They include motorists stranded or trapped by rising flood waters; individuals trapped in swift water conditions; and individuals trapped inside, or on the roof of a flooded building.
Cuomo’s office describes the project as the “latest milestone” in a multi-year, $42 million capital improvement to the State-Preparedness Training Center.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
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