The number of unwanted incidents in the river that meanders through the center of Trondheim has been so high in recent years that something had to be done. Now Trøndelag fire and rescue service has gone to purchase water scooters that can be used in rescue operations.
Tools that will save lives
This week, crews tested the capabilities of the jet skis during rescue exercises in the Nidelva, a large and strong river that runs through Trondheim’s city centre.
CONVINCED: Fire constable and instructor Geir Haugdahl is convinced that the jet skis will save lives in Nidelva. Photo: Frank Lervik / TV2
– The jet skis are very fast and we can easily get to most places up the river. These will save lives in the future. I can say that with one hundred percent certainty, says Geir Haugdahl.
He is a watercraft instructor and fire constable at the maritime department of the Trøndelag fire and rescue service.
Shortens the call-out time
So far, Trøndelag fire and rescue service has purchased two rescue jet skis.
– We are constantly looking for new tools that can increase our preparedness and shorten the call-out time. The two new rescue jet skis that we received this autumn will contribute to that, says Ola Kviteng – head of department for the emergency department in Trøndelag fire and rescue service.
Accident-prone river
In the last five years, there have been 498 incidents in Nidelva and in Kanalen in Trondheim, where the Fire and Rescue Service has contributed in one way or another. This underlines the need to increase preparedness.
– There has been a lot of attention to safety along and in Nidelva in Trondheim city center in recent years. Among other things, the municipality has put up several fences, and our contribution is these rescue water scooters. One of these will have a permanent place on our new fireboat which we will deliver in the summer, says Kviteng.
The new fire boat is also of such a size that it will not get that far up the river. But the jet skis get there without a problem, explains the head of department.
In the future, the crew manning the fire station at Nyhavna in Trondheim city center will receive training. These are rescue divers and boat personnel who already have a lot of experience with rescue in water.
Spreading about
The company Hodet Over Vann As is the leading supplier of jet skis to the fire and rescue services in Norway. They supply specially equipped rescue jet skis at a price of approximately NOK 450,000.
– Our jet ski is called Rescuerunner, and today they can be found from Sarpsborg in the south to Sortland in the north. More and more people have realized that this is a useful tool for saving lives in water. They are easy to move with a trailer and set out in lakes, rivers and the sea where they are needed, and they tolerate shallow water and rocks well, says managing director Lars Fossum.
Fact: These areas have Rescuerunner today
Mo i Rana Fire and rescue service, Sarpsborg Fire and rescue service, Gauldal Fire and rescue IKS, Kongsberg Fire and rescue service, Rogaland Fire and rescue IKS, Sortland Fire and rescue service and Trøndelag fire and rescue IKS. In addition, 4 Red Cross aid corps have Rescuerunner
ACCIDENT PRONE: The fire service often goes out to Nidelva in Trondheim in connection with accidents and other incidents. Photo: Frank Lervik / TV2
– Conservative fire service
He adds that most rescue agencies that have now acquired rescue jet skis have rivers in their areas of responsibility. The fact that this has only now become a common tool with the fire and rescue service in Norway, he believes, is due to a conservative fire service.
– It takes time before new things are incorporated into that agency. 10-15 years ago, no fire service had an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle). Now almost everyone has it. The rescue company saw the usefulness of jet skis many years ago, Fossum points out.
13 years of experience
The rescue company has a total of 25 rescue jet skis located around the country. The first ones came in 2009 and the experiences are good.
– They are used in searches both along land and on the beach, and they are a good tool where the rescue skates cannot come out due to the depth of the water. They can also evacuate people from wrecked vessels, as well as tow smaller vessels that have run aground, says Marius Dahlen of the Rescue Company.
LONG EXPERIENCE: The rescue company has had rescue jet skis on standby since 2009. Photo: The rescue company
Good supplement
Dahlen is project manager in the Rescue Company’s maritime mobile efforts concept. He says that 20 of the rescue jet skis are placed at stations where they also have a rescue boat. Five are used by the Rescue Company’s maritime response team, which is located in Eastern Norway.
– They are a good supplement to the rescue skates, and they are good tools in both salt and fresh water and in rivers. The fact that the fire and rescue agencies are now also purchasing such will strengthen preparedness, and that is what all of us who deal with this are constantly working for, concludes Dahlen.
