SDSU Emergency Officials Partner with Local Fire Department for Confined Spaces Drill
The annual drill is part of SDSUs ongoing emergency preparedness and response efforts.
Cooperation and partnerships are critical components when it comes to campus safety and emergency preparedness. With this in mind, San Diego State University’s Office of Emergency Preparedness and the Department of Environmental Health and Safety partnered with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to host this year’s confined space rescue drill on April 3-4.
The annual drill is part of the campus’ ongoing emergency preparedness and response efforts and helps strengthen the university’s partnership with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department’s (SDFD) Technical Rescue Team.
The confined space drill typically takes place during Spring Break to minimize disruptions to campus. For the first time, members of SDSU’s Campus Emergency Response Team (CERT) this year also observed the exercise.
Locations such as manholes, utility vaults or underground construction sites are commonly referred to as confined spaces. There are several manholes and utility vaults located across campus, all of which are regularly serviced. These vaults can pose potential risks in the form of physical and atmospheric hazards and can become a gateway to gases and high-pressure steam pipes.
Although employees required to work in these spaces undergo specialized training and have a number of safety protocols that are used to limit exposure to these hazards, unforeseen emergencies can occur.
Testing a response
Knowing that SDFD regularly trains on campus for just such a situation is reassuring. Each year, members of the department’s Technical Rescue Team, Search and Rescue Team and local fire stations have been invited onto campus for a series of drills designed to test and validate the response capabilities of emergency responders.
“In the event of a confined space emergency, SDSU would contact SDFD, and the fire-rescue department would provide confined space entry rescue services,” said Kristen Ross, occupational safety manager for SDSU’s Environmental Health and Safety division. “Participating in this essential hands-on training allows SDSU to practice our important role in the event SDFD performs an entry rescue.”
This year’s drill simulated a worker becoming trapped in a utility vault underneath Campanile Mall. The drill included a test of campus communications that resulted in a call to the fire department. Local fire stations responded as they would in a real emergency, followed by specialized elements from the technical rescue team.
Over the course of four hours, firefighters practiced setting up, preparing for and ultimately performing a rescue from the utility vault. SDFD also used the drill as an opportunity to certify its firefighters on the intricacies of a confined space rescue.
“Having the fire department regularly train on campus is very important for us,” said Lamine Secka, director of SDSU’s Office of Emergency Preparedness. “It allows the fire department to become more familiar with our campus and its nuances, and it allows our staff the chance to see exactly what the fire department does to assist us. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
