Hesperia's Station 305 One of County's Top Urban Search & Rescue Units

Communications Advisor Veronica Hill joined San Bernardino County Fire Station 305 last week for a tour and ride-along with their fire engine and ambulance.

Located in Hesperia, the station is one of three heavy rescue units in San Bernardino County. They are equipped to perform a variety of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) tasks, including swift water rescue, high/low angle rope rescue, confined space rescue, and trench rescue. They also specialize in incidents involving building collapse — such as emergency building shoring, technical search via camera and Delsar life detector listening devices.

The station’s large animal rescue trailer — a new project spearheaded by Captain Robert Edie — is expected to go into service early next year. It is equipped with a variety of harnesses, ropes and flotation devices designed to rescue horses (or cattle) that may fall into the aqueduct, river, or down a ravine.

Our team also got to meet San Bernardino County Fire CARE K9 partner Scout, a Belgian Malinois, who is available to comfort personnel who have experienced traumatic events. Station 305 team members said that the CARE K9s are a great comfort after major incidents or "a thousand paper cuts" experienced on their calls.

Special thanks to Battalion Chief Steve Tracy, Captain Edie, Engineer Michael Caddell, Firefighter Craig Cummings and Ambulance Operators Raymundo Crespo and Mitchell Yaffee for sharing all of the wonderful things your department is doing on behalf of the community!