ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis fire rescue teams and Ameren came together for a high-stakes training session, focusing on the rare but critical task of high-altitude rescues on Thursday.
The training, held at Ameren's fire school facility in Wellston, saw firefighters scaling a decommissioned transmission tower, preparing for scenarios that, while uncommon, demand precision and expertise.
"We don't get a lot of calls to perform these types of rescues. It's going to be very valuable for our members," Capt. Mario Montero of the St. Louis Fire Department, who led the training exercise, said.
Montero, a veteran with 37 years of service, has firsthand experience with the challenges such rescues pose.
"It was an individual that climbed up on one of these towers and wasn't happy to see us when we tried to perform our rescue, and I'll leave it at that," he said, emphasizing the unpredictability of these operations.
The training day was made possible through a partnership with Ameren, which provided one of its transmission towers for the exercise.
The tower, reaching upwards of 70 feet, was a realistic setting for the firefighters to practice various rescue techniques.
"One is we're going to set up our rope systems, and we're going to send them up from the ground and work our way up to perform the rescue. Some of them will be tower bases. So we're going to have the rescuers have to carry all the equipment up on the tower and lower the individuals up from the tower," Montero said, explaining the day's objectives.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to prepare the fire service for every possible scenario. "The big tower cranes, like they build hospitals with, the big yellow ones. We've done training off of those," Montero said, highlighting the diverse range of situations for which his team must be ready.
Tim Frankenberg, a fire protection engineer with Ameren, emphasized the importance of this partnership.
"Ameren Transmission was gracious and said, 'Yeah, you come on down and commission this equipment. We can let the fire department train on it.' It's an excellent opportunity to add something to their playbook that they're not normally able to get a hold of," Frankenberg said.
This collaboration goes beyond training exercises, ensuring the safety of both the public and emergency responders in live incidents.
"Whether it's a vehicle accident or a structure fire, get the power shut off so we can make it safe for the fire service," he said.
"They'll do great. No doubt in my mind. They'll do fantastic," Montero said with confidence when talking about the eagerness all his crews had.
Ameren also offers the fire school to other departments throughout the area.