Roco Rescue is proud to announce that we have once again been awarded the privilege to provide Combat Technical Rescue Training and Specialized Equipment Kits to USAF Pararescue as part of the Guardian Angel Technical Recovery Program.  Their dedication is reflected in their creed:

“It is my duty as a Pararescueman to save lives and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things I do, that others may live.” 

The Guardian Angel contract includes four Pararescue mission-specific rescue kits to include Confined Space, Structural Collapse and two Extrication Systems. In addition, Roco will provide a new sustainment program for Guardian Angel that will provide operator and maintenance training courses, replacement parts, and logistics support as part of the contract that runs through September 2018.

For those who may not be familiar with this special group of USAF personnel, here’s more… Pararescuemen, also known as PJs, are United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) operatives tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. These special operations units are also used to support NASA missions and have been used to recover astronauts after water landings. They are attached to other SOF teams from all branches to conduct other operations as appropriate. They wear the maroon beret as a symbol of their elite status, and to symbolize the blood shed by past PJs, as well as the blood current PJs are willing to shed to save lives.

It is our honor to be of service to this elite group.

Visit Roco Tactical for more information.

 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.