As of Monday, June 4, Callam County Fire District #1, Forks Fire Department, has a fully certified and deployable Swift Water Rescue Team. Earlier in May, 12 firefighters from the Forks and Beaver Departments underwent a three-day intensive certification process to begin their efforts to better serve the community they live in.

This team will serve the city of Forks and surrounding areas, deploying to any emergency that involves technical water rescues. The team conducts trainings every Wednesday night on the rivers, in the community and at the Forks Fire Station in order to hone their skills to be able to respond to any situation that they are required to.

Team Leader Kris Oliver said, “I could not be more proud to lead a team. This team is tirelessly committed to improving public safety. It’s inspiring to see a group of people that come together as volunteers, target a specific need for public safety professionals to be trained in, get certified and dedicate their free time to learning a technical craft such as swift water rescue. This resource is something that our community has needed and I cannot think of a better group of people to answer that call.”

Training in the swift current.