Members of area police and fire departments recently came together in Essex for the first part of a large-scale search and rescue (SAR) training exercise.

A three-hour SAR training class, led by U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Monaghan, took place on July 6, with hands-on training on the Connecticut River planned for next month.

The class reviewed the U.S. Coast Guard’s guidelines and procedures relating to large-scale maritime SAR operations, with a focus on communications and search patterns.

A total of 55 police officers and firefighters attended, from the Old Saybrook Police Department, Essex Fire Department, Old Lyme Fire Department, Deep River Fire Department, and Essex Police Department.

With multiple departments responding to an emergency, Essex Fire Marshal John Planas said that coordinating efforts to ensure operations run smoothly is paramount.

As an example, he cited a recent drill in the southeastern part of the state that involved 17 different fire departments searching for a lost swimmer.

“So, you can imagine trying to manage 17 departments and having 17 different departments communicating on the radio at once,” said Planas. “It can get a little hectic.

“So, this training is very important, so we understand the proper procedures for doing a search where it doesn’t hamper the search efforts rather than helping,” he continued.

During the class, attendees learned about communications with each asset, or maritime emergency response vessel, as well as with the U.S. Coast Guard stations, boats, or aircraft, such as a helicopter.

They also discussed conducting a proper search using the correct search pattern.

Choosing a search pattern is based on different emergency situations, such as whether “there is a person who is in the water, if there is a lost vessel, if there is somebody who is reported missing a long time ago, whether it’s a few hours or a couple days,” said Planas. “There are different types of search patterns that we would institute depending on the call itself.”

Several practice drills on the water next month, as the second part of the training exercise, will help emergency responders put what they learned in the classroom to use. Approximately 8 to 10 emergency response vessels, from the various municipal departments, are scheduled to participate.

In addition to gaining hands-on experience, attendees will learn about the new technologies associated with the different municipal assets, or vessels.

One example is the town of Essex’s new fireboat, which is equipped with enhanced technologies such as an infrared camera that allows firefighters to pick up on heat signatures below the surface of the water. The boat’s side-scan sonar also allows for visibility beneath the boat.

The Essex Fire Department’s drone technologies can also be controlled by and displayed from the fireboat, providing emergency responders with an aerial view of a search area.

“It’s really an amazing tool that we have,” said Planas. “So that is something that we have that we can offer other regions, if they need it.

“There might be other assets that have certain fire pump features that we may not have, or we may have it, so that is why it’s important to get to know your neighbors and what kind of equipment they have” to deploy in an emergency, continued Planas.

With emergency responders in the local area dispatched 5 to 10 times annually for marine emergency calls, Planas said he plans to organize and conduct this type of large-scale SAR training annually.

“I want to make sure that the region gets this training on an annual basis and that we do this to keep everybody up to par on everything,” said Planas.