GALLATIN, Tenn. (WKRN) -- The Gallatin Fire Department will soon add swiftwater rescue to their response arsenal.

The training took nearly 3 years, but GFD is on the verge of becoming just 1 of 9 departments in Tennessee with this certification from TEMA.

“We knew the need for the team was there, we just didn’t know exactly what it was going to appear to be yet,” explained Battalion Chief Tyler Racki.

GFD already has water-rescue capabilities, but they believe launching this team will elevate their craft to a whole new level; “setting the standard” for their department, as Racki said.

“I’ve heard it talked about like this: do you want a five-dollar team or do you want a million-dollar team? And I think we’ve put our price tag pretty high. It’s few and far between to come by a good swif

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