Texoma assessment identifies water-rescue training and equipment needs

Texoma responders need more preparation and equipment for rescues in fast-moving water, according to a 2024 capability assessment included in the Texoma Council of Governments’ November board packet. The review identified additional swift-water instruction and rescue kits as needs, along with boats. Regional assessment

Sherman’s training page lists 18 firefighters assigned to its Technical Rescue Team and says their advanced certifications include swift-water rescue. That capability has a documented history: the city’s fiscal 2019 budget described water-rescue training among the team’s specialties. Sherman training records, city budget

A reported joint exercise involving Sherman and Whitesboro firefighters could not be independently verified. The records reviewed also do not establish a connection between that session and Denison Dam or participation by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, known as TEEX.

Whitesboro’s documented experience connects water-rescue readiness to emergencies on rural North Texas roadways. Its fire department says crews have rescued drivers stranded after entering deep water. The department says it also coordinates with other agencies on roadway safety when rain is heavy. Whitesboro rescue services

The regional assessment identified staffing obstacles as well. It attributed difficulties recruiting and retaining firefighters and emergency personnel to better wages and job opportunities in neighboring counties. Assessment findings

At Denison Dam, operating procedures account for changing releases. The dam lies along the Red River at the boundary of Grayson County, Texas, and Bryan County, Oklahoma, according to the Texas Water Development Board. Dam location

The Army Corps of Engineers’ 2011 water-control manual requires a warning horn with every gate adjustment. When the reservoir reaches or rises above the upper limit of its flood-control pool, those adjustments can occur hourly, the manual says. Operating manual

TEEX offers a 36-hour technician course for responders conducting rescues during floods or in fast currents. Its curriculum covers how rescuers get themselves to safety and how rivers behave. Students also study rope throw bags and rescues assisted by boats, with in-water work during daylight and darkness. Those published subjects do not confirm what any Sherman or Whitesboro participants practiced. Technician course

TEEX distinguishes that preparation from its introductory awareness instruction. The awareness course addresses hazard recognition and support duties; the agency says it does not prepare participants to perform or manage a swift-water rescue. Awareness course

State funding allows TEEX’s Fire Extension Program to offer Texas fire departments and emergency responders instruction without tuition or at reduced fees, the agency says. The program also delivers training at local departments and agencies. Fire Extension Program