Tactcal 14
IFD Tactical Rescue Teams Specialize in areas of Trench Rescue, Structural Collapse, Top Water, Swift Water, Dive Rescue, Heavy Extrication, Evidence Recovery, High and Low Angle Rope Rescue and Hazardous Materials.
Station 1 and 5 - "The Mole Team" - Trench and Structural Collapse Specialists
Station 7 and 14 - Dive Teams - Dive, Top water, Swift water, Ropes, Heavy Extrication, Evidence Recovery Specialists
Station 13, 19 and 31 - Haz-Mat Teams - All Classes of HazMat and Decon Specialists
Station 29 - Urban Search Team - Urban Search and Rescue Unit
All 4 teams train all 12 months of the year. Each team specialist holds at least a technitian level certification and continuosly trains in up to date issues in there specific disciplines. IFD currently uses in house instructors that attend national instructor training to teach each discipline in rescue. Substitue Firefighters that float from house to house also get hands on training while at each respective house and play vital roles in everyday operations of each Tactical Team.
Multi-Phase Tactical Team
Indianapolis Fire Department is the only department in the state that has a 6 Phase Multi-Functional Tactical Rescue Team. Tactical 14 runs the North District areas of Battalion 11 and 12, and Tactical 7 runs the South District areas of Battalion 13 and 14.
Both teams assist other departments in mutual aid and training. Tactical 14 has gone as far as a 50 minute response time to Frankfort Indiana for a rope rescue of a cell tower employee stuck at the top. The Dive team has responded to as far as the Ohio River for mutual aid efforts of recovery.
The 7 Disciplines of Tactical 14
Dive Rescue
Rope Rescue
Heavy Extrication
Top Water
Swift Water
Ice Rescue
*New* Evidence Recovery
IFD, Franklin Twp Fire, Pike Twp. Fire and Lawrence Twp. Fire are the only departments in Marion County with Dive Teams. Fishers Fire Department, which is north of the county, also trains and assists in dive/water related runs in Marion County. State Police and DNR have dive teams available on a on-call basis within Marion County. All agency Dive teams train and work with each other on an annual basis.
2006 IFD Obstacle Course held in the 18 foot dive well at the IUPUI Natatorium in Downtown Indy. The Obstacle course consisting of several entanglement hazards, confined space, cutting station, and objects to be found (knife, baby and adult maniquin) while the diver wears full dive gear and follows a tag line with a blacked-out mask. Several Scuba skills are performed along the way which include donning and doffing of the BC and taking the mask off, going to an alternate air source and bail out mask. The diver is followed by instructors and monitored the whole course in a safe and controlled environment.
