Sacramento Fire Crews Trained In Tight-Space Rescues

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Experts have been racing against the clock to free a soccer team trapped in a remote cave in Thailand.

First responders with the Sacramento Metro Fire Department are trained to handle similar situations.

"They can be in a sewer system, they can be in a mudslide, trapped under debris, inside of a house," said Capt. Jason Butler.

If it's known for one thing, Northern California takes pride in being called Gold Country. But the rugged landscape is full of hidden spaces like mines, caves and trenches. Seven firefighters are on duty at all times, trained to get people out of dangerous situations.

Butler says it takes a special set of tools to rescue someone trapped in a tight space with limited access.

"If a situation were to arise, there is a vehicle and adequately trained personnel to respond," he said. "You have to dig into that area and then extract them."

But before you dig, Butler says you have to pinpoint a location. His team uses a device called a Life Detector. They place different pods on the ground, which search for sound waves below.

"I notice my sound is over there, so mu victim must be over there," Butler said during a simulation.

And if visibility is a problem, firefighters use the Search Cam 3000.

"You can shove it through a hole, pull up what's on the monitor and see what's actually inside that area," Butler explained. "You can look for whoever it is."

It can pick up sound, light the path and track a person within 10 feet. The camera rotates, giving first responders a wider view of what's down below.

Put it all together and these firefighters are ready for their own large-scale rescue in the smallest of places.

"The only other way to get somebody out of a building that has collapsed is to get heavy vehicles to lift them out," Butler said. "At that point, now you're risking the integrity of the person's compartment that they are inside of."