Chattanooga, TN (WDEF)- The Chattanooga Fire Department’s Swiftwater Rescue Team has officially received state accreditation.
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Director Patrick Sheehan presented the certificate Tuesday morning at the Chattanooga Police and Fire Training Center.
The 26-member team has spent years preparing for this recognition, training extensively and putting their skills into practice during recent emergencies. Just days ago, they rescued dozens of stranded residents and motorists during Chattanooga’s historic flash flooding.
Assistant Chief Terry Knowles said the accreditation is a milestone for the city.
“What that means for the city of Chattanooga is now the city has a specialized Swiftwater rescue team, which we already saw put in place last week during the floods. It just means that we have a technical rescue team within the city that can respond to any type of flood or Swiftwater event throughout the city,” he said.
With this accreditation, the team is now officially recognized as a deployable state resource, ready to assist in flood and swiftwater rescues both in Chattanooga and across Tennessee.
