CATSKILL — A strong specialized rescue team in Greene County just got a little stronger.
The Public Safety Committee approved a resolution last week to establish a joint technical rescue team with Ulster County.
The Greene-Ulster Regional Technical Rescue Team will serve both counties for emergencies that require rope rescues. The team has received a $150,000 grant from the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services for training and equipment.
The three-year-old Twin Cloves Technical Rescue Team will be included in the regional team, Greene County Emergency Management Specialist Daniel King said.
The Twin Cloves rescue team, established in 2016, consists of members of five local departments that specialize in rope rescues. Member departments include fire companies from Hunter, Tannersville, Haines Falls and Palenville in Greene County, and Cedar Grove in Ulster County.
“We are able to maximize grant funding, training and getting equipment by forming a regional team,” King said.
Requirements for the Homeland Security and Emergency Services grant have changed since Twin Cloves formed, King said, and now require that counties, not individual teams, apply for the grant.
The regional team will be overseen by the county fire coordinators in both counties. Funding for the team will be overseen by Greene County Department of Emergency Services and Ulster County, according to the resolution.
“The day-to-day operations of Twin Cloves will stay the same,” King said.
The regional team will work similarly to Greene County’s joint hazardous materials response team with Columbia County, King said.
“Generally, each county handles their own case,” he said. “If the county needs additional resources, the rest of the team will respond.”
By training together and purchasing equipment together, the team will give the counties more buying power, and also achieve a standard of both training and resources in the region, King said.
Members of the rope rescue team have to complete a training session to become certified technicians and then demonstrate continued education throughout the year to maintain their status, King said.
There are three different levels of certification, as well as the option to become certified in certain specialized types of rescues, King said.
Greene County is called on to make about 12 to 15 rope rescues per year, King said.