Special Ops
Mission statement
The Special Operations Division of the El Paso Fire Department will support and manage the Department’s Specialized Rescue and Hazardous Materials teams in a logical, efficient, and professional manner that will allow for a complete and consistent utilization of the expertise, technology, training, and equipment needed and available to perform all specialized rescues that may arise throughout the City of El Paso and any neighboring communities in need of assistance. There are four teams: Technical Rescue, Hazardous Materials, Combined Search and Rescue and Water Rescue.
- Rope Rescue
- Trench Rescue
- Confined Space
- Haz-Mat Technicians
- State Haz-Mat Certification
- Confined Space Certification
The Combined Search and Rescue Team is comprised of 30 Fire Department
members and 10 El Paso Police Officers. All members are required to have 40
hours of a combination class and fieldwork in Technical Rope Work and Search and
Rescue.
The team can be activated by a partial or full call out by
individual pagers. Notification of the Special Operations Chief, Assistant
Chief, and the Team Coordinators are paged on all possible wilderness
rescues.
The Water Rescue Team is comprised of 18 Fire Department members assigned across all three shifts and various stations. The Water Rescue Team has the capability of effecting simultaneous events in separate locations. Team responses vary as requested from Incident Commander from a single diver for technical expertise to full callout of 18 Water Rescue Team members and Special Operations Coordinator and Assistant Coordinators. All Team members are required to be certified to the following levels:
- Swiftwater Technicians
- Open Water Scuba
- Advanced Open Water Scuba
- Rescue Diver
Divisions
staff
Special Operations Coordinator
Battalion Chief
Matthew A. Thomas
(915) 212-5304
ThomasMA@elpasotexas.gov
Special
Operations Assistant
FST Daniel Beltran
(915) 212-5310
BeltranDB1@elpasotexas.gov
Special Operations Assistant
FST
Christopher Falcon
(915) 212-5309
TFalconCJ@elpasotexas.gov
contact
6800 Delta Drive
El Paso, TX 79905
Phone (915) 212-0380
Fax (915) 212-0381