Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Service

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Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Service

Volunteer Rescue Service specializing in Cave/Cliff/Technical Rescue, Search, Support Services, & EMT/EMR Standbys

We offer volunteer rescue services specializing in Cave/Cliff/Technical Rescue, Search & Rescue, Support Services, and EMT/EMR Standbys. We serve Chattanooga, Hamilton County, and the Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia Tri-State Area. We are a member of the Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads, and a Regular Member of the Mountain Rescue Association.

05/16/2026

Last week we had sixteen members attend the National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) seminar in Mentone, Alabama.

These members participated both as students and instructors and trained on a variety of techniques specific to cave rescue throughout the week.

CHCRS is proud of the strong relationship it has with the NCRC and is proud of our members that continue to learn and teach at these events.

05/15/2026

CHCRS held our regular monthly training yesterday, focusing on fundamental counterbalance techniques that are applicable to certain cave rescue scenarios.

Members practiced basic “ups and downs” to build familiarity with operating the system and then progressed to cross-haul scenarios using the counterweight techniques.

These simple, effective methods can be critical in the right conditions and are the building block for more complex operations.

04/25/2026

Several CHCRS members and recruits spent the week attending T-SAR at Fall Creek Falls State Park, serving as both instructors and students in a Rope Rescue Operations course. We also had several members attend the T-SAR tracking class.

This training is a requirement for all incoming CHCRS recruits, who dedicated the week to developing fundamental rope rescue skills while working alongside agencies from across the state.

With our 2026 Recruit Class now just one month from graduation, we are proud of the hard work they have shown and look forward to integrating them into the team as provisional members.

04/10/2026

Last night the Cave/Cliff/Technical Unit trained on Artificial High Directionals (AHDs) during our regular monthly training session.

We continued to build on last week’s AHD class and extend what was learned to other members of the team.

Thank you to the local landowner for access to a cliff site that made this training possible.

04/06/2026

CHCRS members spent last week sharpening their skills during an intensive 5-day Artificial High Directional (AHD) training led by Origin Rigging.

We were honored to train and collaborate alongside personnel from the Chattanooga Fire Department and the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security strengthening interagency coordination and technical capability.

We would like to thank Origin Rigging for their instruction and also thanks to Tennessee American Water, AT&T field and the Jasper Highlands Fire Department for providing us with great venues to train at for the week.

03/16/2026

The CHCRS recruits wrapped up their Orientation Cave Rescue Weekend with a mock cave rescue. Everyone did a great job.

Thanks to the instructors and mock patients for giving their time.

03/15/2026

Our recruits are getting their first taste of cave rescue this week in an Orientation to Cave Rescue class with instructors from the National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC).

Today’s focus: patient packaging, litter movement through tight passages, and underground communications.

03/13/2026

Last night our team headed underground for a cave rescue training focused on search and communications.

A big part of the evening was stress-testing new communications equipment developed by Lt. Ben Schweighart and his brothers. They’ve built a modern wired phone system designed specifically for cave environments—replacing equipment that many cave rescue teams have relied on since the 1970s.

Their system also includes a communications bridge that allows the underground wired phones to be connected at the surface to land mobile radios or even cell phones, creating a reliable link between rescuers in the cave and command on the surface. Improvements like this are a major step forward not only for our team, but for cave rescue operations as a whole.

Training also included cave search practice and a fast-paced “bomb defusal” communications exercise designed to keep the tempo high and reinforce clear, concise communication under pressure.

Consistent training and innovation like this help ensure we’re ready when someone needs help underground.

03/09/2026

Our recruits spent the day putting the single rope technique skills they learned yesterday to work in cave environments. Everyone is putting in strong work training and learning.

Address

5910 Lee Highway/P O Box 8131
Chattanooga, TN
37421

Telephone

+14238995910

Website

http://www.chcrs.org/

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