Local Firefighters Train for Rescues in Fiborn Karst Caves
By Paul Gingras

In this 2003 photograph, a tourist explores one of the entrances to the Fiborn Karst Caves near Trout Lake. Five area township fire departments explored the caves Monday, September 18, 2006 and will return to conduct formal rescue training sessions.

Shortly into a rescue training session in the Fibron Karst Caves near Trout Lake, area firefighters realized that familiarizing themselves with the underground landscape was an arduous task in itself.

The training to rescue cave explorers, held Monday, September 18, included 10 firefighters and was initiated by David F. Frazier, chief of the Garfield Township Fire Department.

The Fiborn Karst Caves are part of a 480-acre preserve owned by the Ann Arbor-based Michigan Karst Conservancy, and they are frequently explored by inexperienced trespassers, said Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Kellie Nightlinger. She operates a guide service near Rexton, which is recognized by the Conservancy, and the firefighters relied heavily on her knowledge of the tunnels for their training.

Entrance to the caves is illegal without permission from the Conservancy, but many people don't know that, Miss Nightlinger said. Often, people hear about the caves by word of mouth and go in unprepared.

Mr. Frazier coordinated with Hendricks Township Fire Chief Alfred Dyer to gather firefighters from Hudson, Hendricks, Garfield, and Trout Lake townships to practice rescue skills in a quarter-mile-long cave which reaches 80 feet underground. The cave is cold and is partially filled with water, a combination that can lead to hypothermia and other dangers, Miss Nightlinger said, especially in the spring, when more water is present.

"It was a good learning experience for us," Mr. Dyer told The St. Ignace News. The department hasn't had to rescue anyone there, "but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen, and we like to be prepared."

Mr. Dyer remained above ground to maintain radio contact and assess communications. The team discovered that their 800 megahertz digital radios do not work underground, but they were able to maintain contact by using high-band radios. Firefighters generally carry both devices.

"We also wanted to get an idea of what kinds of clothes we'd need to wear and what lighting we'd need to rescue people from the caves," Mr. Frazier said.

"Most had never been through the caves before," Miss Nightlinger said. "They felt the project was a good idea, but challenging."

There are at least three entrances to the caves, but the Conservancy considers only one of them safe. This is where firefighters entered, and they soon found themselves in tight quarters, walking in single file through a jagged tunnel of limestone with a floor of sharp, loose rocks.

Without help, they would have difficulty getting through the caves, they discovered, so rescue scenarios planned by the firefighters were waived so the firefighters could familiarize themselves with the landscape. They found that some areas are too narrow for an injured person to be carried out on a backboard, unless they use one of the other two cave openings.

To facilitate future rescue operations, the team took Global Positioning System (GPS) readings to mark each entrance. Now, firefighters know where to position their vehicles to be most effective, Mr. Dyer said.

In some areas, firefighters had to crawl through water, and three quarters of the way into the tunnel, they discovered the cave's seven-foot waterfall, and the only way to proceed was to climb over it. The return is aided by a ledge positioned five feet up, she added.

Firefighters discovered that waterproof boots and sweatshirts are sufficient for cave operations during the summer, Mr. Frazier said. Standard firefighter helmets are inappropriate, however, they found, because in low areas, where they had to look down, their visors prevented them from seeing forward.

The Conservancy recommends helmets mounted with head lamps, because "you hit your head tons of times as you go through," Miss Nightlinger said.

The lack of head gear is one way she has identified trespassers, she added. The Conservancy details what equipment is necessary for exploration, and Miss Nightlinger has encountered many explorers in the caves who wore no special equipment, she said.

In every group, including the firefighters, Miss Nightlinger said, some explorers feel claustrophobic, a serious concern.

"Not everyone is ideal in caves," Mr. Dyer added. "Training sessions like this let us know who should and shouldn't be sent in."

At the far end is what Miss Nightlinger calls the "goop loop," a tube of rock of with a low ceiling. Explorers have to crawl through muddy water and debris to get through and the water is so thick that it cannot penetrated by light.

"This is the hardest part," she said, and not all members of the rescue team were willing to enter it.

A second training session at the caves will include real-life rescue scenarios, Mr. Dyer said. Someone will pose as an injured person and rescuers will immobilize him and remove him from the cave to "prove that we can do it if we have to."

Hendricks Township Fire Department should have everything necessary to rescue an explorer from the Fiborn Karst Caves, he added, with the exception of a basket-like Stokes litter.

Miss Nightlinger said she will assist firefighters with future training exercises in the caves, and she has also offered free tours to U.S. Coast Guard personnel working in St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie.