Rescue Services

As the community has changed through the years so has the need for fire services. When the fire service emerged it was solely focused on firefighting. As the fire service has evolved additional capabilities were needed to rescue people from a variety of situations. The Fire Division maintains a capability to rescue people from known hazards within our community.

The New Brighton Fire Division maintains a highly trained and well-equipped Ice Rescue team to respond to any emergency which may occur on any of the many frozen bodies of water located within the City. The Ice Rescue team conducts regular training to ensure a high level of proficiency in Ice Rescue. Some of the equipment utilized by the Ice Rescue team are; cold-water survival suits, Rescue Alive, flotation devices, specialized rope, traction devices, and personal flotation devices. Additionally, the Fire Division maintains a water rescue team and two boats to respond to any emergency on the water. The water rescue team is capable of providing emergency assistance to boaters in distress, swimmers in distress, and water searches. The rigid hull design of the two boats allows New Brighton Fire to pro-actively drag the bottom of lakes and rivers to rescue a victim of a water incident. One of the boats is equipped with a Global Positioning System and Sonar to aid in the search for victims.

With two major Interstates traveling through the community, the Fire Division maintains three rescue-ready apparatuses. Each rescue apparatus maintains a hydraulic extrication tool, commonly referred to as the Jaws of Life, cribbing, specialized cutting tools, and specialized vehicle extrication tools. The Fire Department has been called upon to provide extrication services to many complex and tragic vehicle crashes

Confined Space Confined space incidents have been responsible for a multitude of civilian and rescuer deaths. Confined spaces can be found anywhere, including attics, sewers, containment vessels, or any other space which is not meant for normal human occupation with restricted egress and the possibility of a lack of oxygen. To ensure the safety of those living and working in New Brighton, the Fire Department maintains a skilled confined space entry team. The team is equipped with ventilation fans, tripods, rescue rope, specialized harnesses, specialized inline breathing equipment, monitoring equipment, and a myriad of other specialized equipment to quickly and safely respond to a confined space incident.