LUDLOW, Vt. – Most would agree that the world is changing rapidly. The newly formed Okemo Valley Technical Rescue (OVTR) hopes to help our region adapt and respond to some of those changes.
In a tragic irony, on the anniversary of the 2023 floods, northern Vermont was hit once again with catastrophic flooding. This could have easily hit our area, bringing to our attention the idea that there are threats and hazards we must acknowledge that did not exist a very short time ago. And, while Vermont has been fortunate enough to have never experienced a mass shooting event, there lies yet another threat that emergency services must be prepared for.
It is these two areas of technical rescue – swiftwater rescue and tactical emergency casualty care – that Okemo Valley Technical Rescue aims to focus on, first and foremost, in their training and acquisition of equipment.
In late 2023, Ludlow Ambulance Chief Stephanie Grover, along with (recently retired) Chief Kolenda of Ludlow Fire, Chief Billy Austin of Mount Holly Fire, and Chief Robert Glidden of Proctorsville Fire came together to brainstorm how these area departments might work together to prepare for events that we were not currently able to address at that time. There are enormous costs associated with training and equipment in technical rescue, and it became clear that working together would be the best way forward.
Chester Fire Department and Springfield Fire Department have crews that are trained and equipped in various technical rescue disciplines, but they are often effectively cut off from the Okemo Valley in times of flooding and, of course, have their own coverage areas to attend to.
Newly hired Ludlow Fire Chief Ben Whalen, formerly of Chester Fire, has extensive experience in technical rescue, and is serving as a valuable consultant to the OVTR Board.
Okemo Valley Technical Rescue – a pending 501(c)(3) organization – is currently recruiting members who wish to train and volunteer in swiftwater rescue, tactical emergency casualty care, and later, structural collapse, ropes rescue, and wilderness search and rescue, to name a few.
At this point, the board of directors is soliciting financial support from local businesses. The organization has already received complete verbal backing from local selectboards in an open meeting earlier this spring. Please direct any questions and offers for donations to OVTR President Stephanie Grover at sgrover.las@tds.net.