The North Lenoir Fire and Rescue Department is, front row, from left, Captain Steve Miller, Assistant Chief Lynn Wiley, Fire Chief Brian Wade, Deputy Chief Tyler Moore, Captain Brandon Ward; back row, Safety Officer Franklin Floyd, Firefighter Kristen McKinley, Captain Mike Muskus, Firefighter Ryan Beasley, Captain Chris Decker and Safety Officer Trey Kornegay. Photo contributed by Chris Decker

North Lenoir Fire and Rescue recently received several advanced rescue certifications from the North Carolina Association of Rescue and EMS. The department also established a rescue team.

The department and its members have invested in significant equipment upgrades and thousands of hours of advanced training to obtain these credentials, making it one of the only departments in the region to offer these advanced rescue services.

The NCAREMS certified North Lenoir Fire & Rescue as a Heavy Rescue, High Angle Rescue and Surface Water Rescue provider. North Lenoir Fire and Rescue is now one of only three heavy rescue certified departments and one of only two High Angle Rescue certified departments in the region.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished,” NLFR Fire Chief Brian Wade said. “I appreciate the time and effort our dedicated members have put into training to better serve our community and our neighboring communities.”

NLFR Public Information Officer Chris Decker said, "These advanced certifications are the result of significant investments in equipment and training by our members and allow us to offer highly technical life­saving services. We constantly work to improve the level of service we offer to our community and these certifications are a testament to that.”

In addition to the new certifications, the department has also formed a rescue team comprised of members trained in various technical rescue disciplines.

“The members of this team have obtained credentials in advanced technical rescue training and committed to continually working to hone their skills,” Rescue Team Commander and Captain Brandon Ward said.

The department is now planning on obtaining certification in Agricultural Rescue, which provides additional training to deal with farming equipment and heavy machinery, and Wilderness Rescue. The department hopes to complete the required training for those certifications by the end of the year.