Helping when no one else can

When the rain falls and water levels rise, Darren Dukes and his team are ready.

Dukes heads the Trussville Fire Department’s swift water rescue unit, a group of 28 specially trained first responders who are called to respond to floods, hurricanes and water rescues in the state and around the Southeast. The unit was formed in 2002, with Dukes being one of three Trussville firefighters to take the first training course. It is now large enough to meet the size and training requirements of a FEMA Type 1 team, which requires the most variety of situational experience.

Not every fire department has the resources to create a swift water rescue team. Fire Chief Russell Ledbetter said that when the unit was initially formed, he never thought they would see action, but they wanted to participate in the Alabama Mutual Aid System.

“I didn’t think we’d ever deploy that team,” Ledbetter said.

He was wrong. The unit was called out during the Trussville flood in 2003 and assisted in efforts with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Isaac in 2012. Dukes said they also performed a river rescue in 2012 after a teenager was injured while rafting and the swift water members are typically called out or placed on alert a few times a year.

“We don’t have a lot of flooding here, so since we do have the equipment, the training and the members, we can go help other people,” Dukes said, adding that Trussville never has to wait for other departments’ help in a flooding emergency. “We can take care of our own rescue.”

Members of the swift water rescue unit train together two to three times a year and can take classes for other skills. Dukes said that different team members are qualified in a variety of rescue tactics: scuba diving, rope rescue, helicopter operations, emergency medical skills, rescue boat operations and animal skills.

Dukes has been a firefighter since 1999, and joined Trussville’s department in 2001. Since he now leads the swift water unit, Dukes said he is typically directing rescues rather than participating. The job requires him to quickly assess the location, its hazards and the best way to reach the people in need of rescue. It’s a high-pressure position, as the safety of the entire team rests on his ability to direct them.

“That’s a challenge of you’re having to send somebody else into something you know is dangerous instead of doing it yourself,” Dukes said. “You’re responsible for everything that happens.”

Having a team that works well together is essential, Dukes said, because one person can spot a problem that Dukes or another member might miss.

“It’s professional. We do the job we need to do. Everybody has their roles, everybody knows what their job is,” Dukes said.

Drowning is the obvious danger of swift water rescues, as Dukes said the team has to make sure “that we’re safe and trying not to add to the problem.” However, they also sometimes have to deal with bystanders with good intentions but no life jacket or knowledge of rescue operations.

Swift water, especially after flooding or extreme weather, is nothing like the ocean or a lake, Dukes said. Even the normally peaceful Cahaba River can overpower a person when its water level rises.

“People don’t understand the danger with moving water,” Dukes said. “It’s just constant pressure on you at all times if you’re in moving water, you don’t get that break between the waves.”

Swift water rescue makes up a small portion of the duties for Dukes and the other firefighters in the unit. They’re still more likely to respond to a fire or injury on a daily basis. However, Dukes said he likes being part of the swift water unit because he has the ability to help people whenever that uncommon need arises.

“There is a certain amount of satisfaction of being able to go out and help people when nobody else can,” Dukes said. “You wouldn’t be in this profession if you didn’t enjoy helping people.”