Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Service

CHCRS members were back at Fall Creek Falls for another week of rope rescue training at T-SAR, with members serving as instructors and recruits completing their training.

This class brought together rescuers from:

Tennessee State Parks
Putnam County Rescue Squad
Signal Mountain Fire Department
Wilson County Sheriff
Chattanooga Police Department
Clay County Sheriff’s Office
Williamson County Fire/Rescue
Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Service

The week also marked the completion of training requirements for the remaining members of our 2026 Recruit Class. They will now join the rest of the team as provisional members.

We also welcomed John Hickman, Bill Putnam, and Michael Talbot to the instructor cadre.

Thank you to everyone who instructed, participated, and helped make another week of T-SAR training possible. We’re grateful for the continued opportunity to train and work alongside agencies from across the state.

This weekend, CHCRS had the privilege of supporting Tennessee State Parks at the Barkley Fall Classic Marathon and 50k in Frozen Head State Park.

Our members provided medical standby and technical rescue support throughout the event.

We’re always glad to work alongside Tennessee State Parks and support events in some of Tennessee’s most challenging terrain.

Yesterday, members of the CHCRS Cave/Cliff/Technical Unit traveled to Alabama to participate in a mock cave rescue hosted and organized by the Huntsville Cave Rescue Unit, Inc.

More than 20 rescuers worked together to locate and evacuate a simulated overdue and injured caver through multiple vertical drops and deep-water canyon passages.

Training together gives our teams a chance to share techniques, learn from each other, and become more familiar with working together before a real rescue happens.

Thank you so much to HCRU for the invitation and for a great day of training. We look forward to next time.

This month, the Cave/Cliff/Technical Unit members trained at Sunset Rock, focusing on low-edge litter transitions.

Members worked through techniques for safely transitioning a litter over an edge while reinforcing proper rigging, communication, and team coordination.

This weekend the CHCRS Cave/Cliff/Technical Unit participated in a mock cave rescue at Head of the Crow State Park.

The scenario involved a patient staged deep inside the cave with simulated injuries requiring treatment and evacuation. Throughout the exercise, rescuers worked as initial response, communications, bolting and rigging, and evacuation/carryout teams. A full command post and incident command structure were also established to coordinate the operation.

The exercise gave rescuers from across the region an opportunity to work together while also helping pre-plan for a real cave rescue response at Head of the Crow.

Thank you to Tennessee State Parks for hosting this event. Other agencies that participated were:

Sewanee TN Volunteer Fire Department
Huntsville Cave Rescue Unit, Inc.
Walker County Fire Rescue Cave/Cliff
Crow Creek Fire Department
Tennessee Fire Chaplains

Last night, the Cave/Cliff/Technical Unit trained on pike and pivot techniques and horizontal low-edge transitions during our regular monthly training.

These fundamental skills are especially important in backcountry rescue environments where natural or artificial high directionals may be unavailable or impractical. Members worked through each evolution while also focusing on clear command and control throughout the operation.

In addition, we want to thank the Lula Lake Land Trust for allowing us to use their property for this training session.

After nearly 30 years of dedicated volunteer service, Deputy Chief Brad Tipton is retiring from the Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Service (CHCRS).

Since joining CHCRS in 1997, Brad has devoted countless hours to serving his community and advancing the field of cave rescue. During his time as Captain of the Cave/Cliff/Technical Unit and later as Deputy Chief, he helped lead rescuers through some of the most difficult, technical, and unforgiving environments imaginable.

Brad’s contributions extend far beyond the incidents to which he responded. He helped to strengthen CHCRS through his technical expertise, sound judgment, commitment to safety, and unwavering belief in precision and professionalism. He has also been a strong advocate for cave safety and preparedness, sharing his experience to help members of the public explore our region’s caves more responsibly.

Perhaps Brad’s greatest legacy is found in the people he mentored and prepared to lead after him. He consistently demonstrated that leadership is not about position or recognition, it is about service, responsibility, and doing what is best for the team and the people it serves. The standards he helped establish will remain part of CHCRS for many years to come.

Brad and his wife, Wendy (also a long time member), will soon begin a new chapter in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. While his retirement leaves a significant void, the knowledge he shared, the rescuers he mentored, and the example he set will continue to guide our organization.

Brad, thank you for nearly three decades of sacrifice, friendship, leadership, and service. It has been an honor to serve alongside you, and you will always be an important part of the history, legacy, and family of the Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Service.

Please join us in congratulating Deputy Chief Brad Tipton on his retirement and wishing Brad and Wendy all the best in their next chapter.

Yesterday, our members participated in a Petzl Technical Workshop hosted and organized by the Chattanooga Fire Department and the Tri-State Mutual Aid Association.

The workshop brought together rescuers from several TSMA partner agencies to strengthen technical rescue skills, share knowledge, and enhance regional interoperability.

A special thank you to Chief Thompson of the Chattanooga Fire Department for coordinating this training opportunity.

The Cave/Cliff/Technical Unit held its regular monthly training, at Signal Point Park, last night alongside partners from the Signal Mountain Fire Department.

Rescuers were challenged with several different scenarios involving both high-angle rope rescue over difficult terrain and low angle carryout's on established trails.

Trainings like this help strengthen inter-agency coordination and pre-planning for when it matters most. Thank you to SMFD for participating and we look forward to the next opportunity to train together.