Inside Fathom Academy: How Houston-Area Responders Train for Storms Like Beta
KPRC 2 Investigates visited Fathom Academy, where most of the responders who train in its indoor flood tank come from the Houston area.
Video: KPRC 2 Click2Houston, "How Houston-area first responders train and prepare for storms like Beta."
As Tropical Storm Beta pushed rain into the Texas Gulf Coast in September 2020, KPRC 2 Investigates went inside Fathom Academy, Fathom's indoor swiftwater training facility in a warehouse just outside Austin. A water rescue team from Montgomery County Precinct 5 was in the tank that day, working through flood scenarios modeled on the storms that have hit Houston hardest, from Hurricane Harvey to Tropical Storm Imelda.
A Houston Training Ground, Three Hours Away
By the time of KPRC's visit, about 300 first responders had trained at Fathom Academy in the two and a half years since it opened, and more than 90 percent of them came from the Houston area. For agencies that had faced Harvey with little hands-on swiftwater experience, a controlled indoor tank offered something a river can't: realistic current, rain and darkness, on schedule and with a quick shut-off.
Instructor Rick Cummins, an Austin-area paramedic with real-world swiftwater rescues behind him, made a sobering point in the report: in these emergencies, many of the people who die are the rescuers themselves. Training is how responders avoid becoming victims.
Tips If You're Caught in High Water
KPRC also asked Cummins what ordinary drivers and residents should do if they're ever trapped by rising water. His advice is in the short video below.
Video: KPRC 2 Click2Houston, "TIPS: What to do if you're caught in high-water and need to be rescued."
The simplest rule still applies: never drive into floodwater. It only takes a little moving water to sweep a vehicle off the road. Turn around, don't drown.
Train Where Houston Trains
Fathom Tanks builds indoor water simulation tanks with controllable current, weather and night conditions for fire, rescue, law enforcement and military training.
Request a Quote (512) 751-5413 · info@fathomtanks.com