With the arrival of Spring, as the temperatures warm up people will begin taking part in outdoor activities more and one local group of first responders is working to make sure they are prepared should they be needed.

Members of the Carter County Rescue Squad’s Technical Rescue Team have been hard at work lately with training. On Monday morning, the team was working on their rope skills at Off The Grid Mountain Adventures.

A group of 16 team members — both new and veterans of the rescue team — were honing their skills with the different types of rappelling and belay rigs including the brake bar, rescue eight descenders, and the Munter Hitch, which is also sometimes known as a Crossing Hitch.

“Those are three systems we use to rappel with and belay with,” said Tech Team member and course instructor James Heaton.

Tech Team members encounter a variety of situations where they must utilize ropes to reach or extract a patient.

“In the rope world, we have low-angle, which would be off of an embankment, and high-angle, which would be anything vertical,” Heaton explained.

Practicing and training on the tower at Off The Grid allows the instructors to create a more controlled environment for the training, according to Heaton. It also helps the team by allowing them a quicker response time should they be called out during training than if they had to hike into the woods with equipment and set up the rigs they need, he added.

In addition to Monday’s ropes training, Off The Grid has allowed the Tech Team to conduct other training classes on the grounds, including using the Rescue Squad’s ATVs on the trails and rugged terrain.

“This is really a blessing to have a facility like this here in our county, from not just a training standpoint but also a tourism standpoint,” Heaton said about Off The Grid.

Monie McCoury, who along with his wife Janice own Off The Grid, was on hand Monday to observe part of the training.

“We’re here in the community and these guys take care of our community,” McCoury said about the team, adding he and his wife are pleased they can provide a place for the training. “We know in everything that training is paramount. My staff, we never stop training.”

“To be prepared is the ultimate readiness,” he added.