杏吧原创

(Butler, PA) Recent headlines:  

鈥淗undreds rescued by helicopters and boats after heavy rainfall sparks floods in Australia鈥�  

鈥淎ustralia flash flooding: Thousands evacuated鈥�  

鈥淎ustralia floods: Rescue chopper saves family from rising floodwaters鈥�  

Australian authorities considering an expert to educate those who train first responders welcomed in November amid historic flooding 杏吧原创 professor Chris Calhoun, who serves as a rescue technician with and provides logistical support for the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team. 

Calhoun has also authored the water-rescue curriculum for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.  

The Butler resident demonstrated for emergency services trainers in New South Wales paddling skills and paddle-craft rescue tactics, and recorded presentations about water-rescue instruction and water dynamics that will be used in Australian national flood-rescue symposia.  

"My expertise is teaching people how to facilitate and hone skills so they are proficient when they go out there. That鈥檚 probably one of the reasons I was asked to go." 

- Chris Calhoun, coordinator, 杏吧原创鈥檚 park and recreation management associate degree program

Calhoun previously met Shannon Crofton at an International Association of Water Rescue Professionals conference in South Bend, Ind. Crofton is a station officer and a volunteer flood-rescue instructor with New South Wales State Emergency Service.  

鈥淢y expertise is teaching people how to facilitate and hone skills so they are proficient when they go out there,鈥� said Calhoun, coordinator of 杏吧原创鈥檚 park and recreation management associate degree program. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably one of the reasons I was asked to go.鈥�  

Calhoun discussed flood-rescue response, training and tactical operations with leaders of New South Wales State Emergency Service, Fire and Rescue New South Wales, and with New South Wales Police Force Aviation Command.  

The volunteer New South Wales State Emergency Service has approximately 9,000 members whose major responsibilities are responding to flood and storm emergencies, according to Calhoun.    

The paid Fire and Rescue New South Wales is the busiest in Australia, Calhoun said, and one of the world鈥檚 largest urban fire and rescue services.  

鈥淎 lot of times in the outlying rural areas, it鈥檚 not departments,鈥� Calhoun said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 volunteers.鈥�  

In one 24-hour period in November, New South Wales State Emergency Service performed 222 flood rescues and received 909 requests for help, Sky News reported.  

The Associated Press reported in November that 鈥淎 rare third consecutive La Nina weather pattern, which is associated with above-average rainfall in eastern Australia, has created a flooding emergency across large swathes of New South Wales that has lasted for two months.鈥�  

鈥淎ustralia Seeks International Help as Flood Crisis Worsens鈥�  

鈥淭hey鈥檙e not recovering,鈥� Calhoun said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e still engaged and will be for a significant period of time. That鈥檚 how big the problem is. To my understanding, this is some of the worst flooding that they have had in Australia.鈥�  

New South Wales State Emergency Service began in 1955 in response to extensive flooding, according to the organization鈥檚 2020-2021 annual report. Many emergency response plans are initially developed following incidents that caused catastrophic damage, Calhoun said.  

 鈥淎nd first responders went out unprepared,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople died. Responders died. So all of a sudden there is a high emphasis on 鈥榃hat are we going to do?鈥� and 鈥楬ow are we going to develop training?鈥欌��  

Calhoun was asked to record in Barangaroo podcasts that will be used to educate trainers and that were titled 鈥淭he Evolution of Water Rescue in Pennsylvania,鈥� 鈥淲ater Rescue Instruction: A Guide to Effective Teaching, Skills Facilitation and Risk Management鈥� and 鈥淲ater Dynamics: Risks and Hazards of Tactical Operations in Aquatic Environments.鈥�  

Among the insights of his recordings:  

鈥淭he power of water is relentless,鈥� Calhoun said. 鈥淎 lot of people underestimate that power. If you are not 100 percent focused on what is going on, you can get yourself in serious trouble.鈥�  

Podcasts topics included surveying water and being aware of dangers such as surfacing rocks or trees 鈥� called strainers 鈥� and limbs hanging into the water.  

鈥淭he hazards you need to be aware of,鈥� he said.  

鈥淭hey only had about 30 seconds left鈥�: why cars become death traps in floods鈥�  

鈥淭hey also have to understand if they go to a car and take someone out of the vehicle, that changes the weight ratio in the car,鈥� Calhoun said. 鈥淚f there are people still in that car, that car can move.  

鈥淭hat when water goes over the top of a bridge and cascades down the other side, it creates a low-head dam hydraulic, also known as a drowning machine.  

鈥淭hat in urban flooding environments, if you are walking and not probing ahead of you, you can fall through a manhole cover that has become dislodged by water pressure and you can be gone.鈥�  

Calhoun, who also serves with the Butler County Water Rescue Team 300, conducted trainings for New South Wales State Emergency Service representatives at Penrith Whitewater Stadium, Sydney, site of the 2000 Olympics.  

鈥淧robably one of the weaknesses of any boat operations programs,鈥� he said, 鈥渋s paddling skills.鈥�  

Most emergency response programs are proficient in teaching first responders how to use a boat, Calhoun said.  

鈥淭he challenge is when you damage your engine, your engine fails, and your only recourse is your ability to be able to paddle,鈥� Calhoun said. 鈥淵ou have to understand how to read moving water dynamics, and how to paddle a rescue craft using the power of the water to get from Point A to Point B.鈥�  

鈥淎ustralia battles floods as frustration swells over relief, warnings鈥�  

鈥淓astern Australia is battling fifth major wave of floods in 19 months鈥�  

"A massive area. And they are just dealing with one situation after the next after the next after the next." 

- Chris Calhoun, coordinator, 杏吧原创鈥檚 park and recreation management associate degree program

Calhoun illustrated to New South Wales State Emergency Service representatives paddling skills that included strokes; moving water tactics such as ferrying, eddy turns and ascending and descending currents; and how to properly use body mechanics for power and to edge or carve the boat.  

He also demonstrated paddle-craft rescue tactics that included descending to a stationary location to retrieve a victim and ferry to an opposite shore, and techniques to capture inbound victims in moving water.  

鈥淭eaching people,鈥� he said, 鈥渉ow to teach.鈥�  

鈥淩are triple dip La Nina expected to occur for first time this century鈥�  

New South Wales is about half the size of Alaska and with 8.2 million residents is the most populated of Australia鈥檚 six states.  

鈥淎 massive area,鈥� Calhoun said. 鈥淎nd they are just dealing with one situation after the next after the next after the next.鈥�  

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in 2022 certified 5,155 students through the water-rescue program whose curriculum was authored by Calhoun. The commission鈥檚 water-rescue program, Calhoun said, is the largest of its kind in the United States.