Deadline: January 3, 2014. There's only about 30 days left to submit your input on the proposed NFPA 350 Best Practices Guide for Safe Confined Space Entry and Work. If you are involved in any kind of confined space work or rescue (municipal or industrial), now is the time to offer your comments. While it is currently listed as a “Best Practices Guide,” that does not mean that at some point in the future it won’t possibly become an NFPA Standard. So, whether you agree or disagree, the time to offer your input is NOW!

Public comment will be accepted online until January 3, 2014. Go to www.nfpa.org/350. In order to comment you must log in with your email and password - or you can quickly create an account.

Click here to download the PDF version. (Note: Download may take up to 3 minutes depending on your computer.)

Roco Rescue Challenge 2013 came to a close on Thursday, October 10 with a great sense of camaraderie. Teams benefited by sharing techniques, strategies and accomplishments. All seven participating teams did an extraordinary job. Congratulations to each and every one of you!

Director of Training, Dennis O’Connell summed Rescue Challenge up eloquently. “Hope you never run into a scenario in real life as hard as the ones you've had at Challenge ’13,” he chuckled as he gave the closing remarks.

Make sure to check out our Facebook page to see photos from Rescue Challenge 2013!

Rescue Challenge 2013 opened this morning, with clear blue skies and delightful 72 degree weather.

Seven industrial rescue teams are participating; Valero - Wilmington, CA, PCS Nitrogen - Geismar, LA , Motiva - Convent, LA, Lion Oil - El Dorado, AR, NCRA - Mc Pherson, KS, Calumet - Superior, WI and Exxon Plastics - Baton Rouge, LA. The two-day challenge will test competitors in all six confined space types at Roco Training Center (RTC).

Look for updates and photos in the coming days. 

Roco is excited to announce that beginning in 2014, we will offer a ProBoard/IFSAC option conducted by the Carrol L. Herring Fire & Emergency Training Institute for select Roco courses at the Roco Training Center (RTC) in Baton Rouge. Students choosing the ProBoard option will complete both a written and skills exam. Upon successful completion of this certification process, they are then eligible to be entered into the ProBoard’s certification registry.

The first Roco course to offer FETI’s accredited certification testing will be our Fast-Track 80™ course to be held on February 20-22 & 24-28, 2014. There is an additional charge of $100.00 per student, and advance registration is required. Call us at (800) 647-7626 to register and reserve spaces or get more information.

The ProBoard is an internationally recognized professional organization that represents the fire service and related emergency response fields. The ProBoard accredits organizations, such as the Carrol L. Herring Fire & Emergency Training Institute, that provide certification testing to the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) professional qualification standards. The International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) is a peer driven, self-governing system that accredits both public fire service certification programs and higher education fire-related degree programs.

Visit ProBoard's website  or watch their video about the benefits of seeking fire service certifications through a ProBoard accredited entity.

Here's a video from Roco's Rescue Tech II training course conducted at Marathon Petroleum in Robinson, IL on August 19-23, 2013. The local NBC affiliate (WTWO) produced the feature which shows how plant responders train and prepare for confined space rescue emergencies. Roco instructors Chad Roberson and Bobby Kauer led the training. Thanks to all involved for sharing this video!

To submit a story or video about your rescue team or training experiences, please email us at: RescueTalk@RocoRescue.com. We want to hear from you.