Charlestown Ambulance-Rescue Services
Technical Rescue

As part of our 50th celebration, we will be introducing you to some of our members and capabilities. We are excited to share their stories and how they serve our community. This week we are happy to share information on CARS Technical Rescue.

Charlestown Ambulance Rescue Services is committed to serving its community and providing aid to the people in it; and that means being prepared for any and every situation, terrain, element, and challenge it’s faced with. That’s where the department’s Technical Rescue services come into play. In addition to its ambulance, CARS also specializes in a multitude of other rescue operations including vehicle extrication, water rescue, ice rescue, fire rehab, and trench rescue (recently became members of the Westerly Regional Trench Rescue Team).

Deputy Chief Chris Wells and Captain Travis Serra oversee the department’s Technical Rescue services, a crucial component of CARS that trains in and utilizes innovative, advanced, life-saving equipment. This includes Squad 90; which is set up for most technical rescue and carries equipment such as the Jaws of Life, high pressure airbags and struts for vehicle stabilization, a stokes basket, low angle rope rescue equipment, a myriad of hand tools, “Man vs. Machine” kit. Then there’s Squad 2, which is set up for water rescue and fire rehab. Some of its equipment includes a rope haul system, life jackets, throw ropes, and other floatation devices for water rescue. Additionally, CARS has a rigid hull inflatable rescue vessel known as Marine 6 that is docked on Ninigret Pond in the summer, and several members trained and deployable as Surface Water Rescue Swimmers.

These are just some of the extraordinary capabilities of CARS and its members when it comes to providing vital Technical Rescue services to its communities. Just in recent weeks, a vehicle extrication took place where the CARS team and fire department worked together to extricate a trapped occupant from a vehicle; one of many rescues made possible with the specialized training, preparedness, skill, and dedication of the CARS Technical Rescue Crew.