The Henrico Division of Fire conducted three days of trench-rescue training exercises near Dabney Road earlier this month, practicing response efforts for the rare occasion when such an event occurs.

Trench incidents occur most frequently when companies fail to follow OSHA rules and regulations. The last such rescue in this region occurred in 2009.

Henrico fire officials and those from Chesterfield, Hanover and Richmond participated in the training sessions, which covered two scenarios: a worker trapped beneath a backhoe that has slipped into a trench; and a worker trapped under a 2,500-pound block of concrete. Rescue dummies were used in the exercises, and crews uses wenches and airbags to lift the heavy objects and extract the “victims.”

The training was made possible in part by Brandywine Realty Trust, Chamberlain Mechanical Service Inc., Ruppert Landscape and Richmond Sign & Engraving.