[dramatic music] - I'm going to see if I can survive being trapped in this car as 10 relentless pumps unleash a torrent of water simulating the raw power of a seven-knot current.

- You don't know what's under the water.

You don't know what the water's going to do.

- This is basically like putting myself into the aftermath of a hurricane and hoping it'll turn out all right.

But that's the point.

Because we're standing here in Hurricane Alley, but despite that, there's never been a facility like this to train swift water rescuers.

And there's a shortage of them.

Not to mention that with every passing storm season, that gap is growing more and more dangerous, until now.

[upbeat music] I'm David Hurst.

This is "ncIMPACT."

[light music] Okay, check this place out.

This is Fayetteville Tech's swift water rescue facility.

It's one of the only indoor swift water rescue facilities in the country.

Groups come from all over the United States to train here, but today, it's a group of first responders from around North Carolina.

It's the last day of a week-long class, so I wanted to put what they've learned to the test.

I'm jumping in and volunteering to be the subject in a simulated rescue.

Their goal: get to us by boat, rescue us from the sinking vehicle, and get us back safely to land in one piece.

Let's find out if they can do it.

[dramatic music] [rescuers conversing] [dramatic music continues] [water rushing] First, they secure us in a vehicle with no life vest as water begins to rise.

[dramatic music continues] The rescue team anchors their approach with guide ropes, fighting against the simulated flood current.

[water rushing] Now comes the crucial test.

Getting someone out of a submerged vehicle takes split-second timing and careful maneuvering through tight spaces.

- [Rescuer] Hold tight, bring it up.

[water rushing] [dramatic music continues] Bring it up.

[dramatic music continues] [water continues rushing] [rescuers yelling] [dramatic music continues] [water continues rushing] [water rushing intensifies] [rescuers yelling] [water continues rushing] [water continues rushing] [dramatic music] [rescuers yelling] - He'll get us out.

- Let's go this way.

- Whoo.

[rescuers conversing] [dramatic music continues] [dramatic music intensifies] [rescuers conversing] [dramatic music continues] - Intense.

There was a split second where it felt real and panic slipped in a little bit.

But it was intense.

I have a lot of respect for the people who do this.

[light music] Experiencing this simulation firsthand drives home just how unpredictable and dangerous swift water rescues can be.

While Hurricane Helene recently proved the importance of this kind of training, the story of this facility begins with another storm: Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

- Hurricane Matthew in 2016 really changed people's perspectives in the emergency response world, just because of the amount of flooding it caused and the widespread damage and the number of people it impacted.

It really made people stop and start thinking about, how do we handle these emergencies, and how do we better prepare for 'em?

- [David] In Cumberland County, Hurricane Matthew brought 12 to 14 inches of rain in just 12 hours.

That's a lotta rain.

Lewis says they received about 1,800 calls for rescues and evacuations during that time.

That many calls overwhelmed local rescuers.

- So it was a very chaotic situation, very dangerous, and fortunately, the loss of life was relatively small.

But that was because of the efforts of first responders.

- This importance became clear again in September of 2024 when Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina.

Swift water rescue teams mobilized quickly, racing to save lives threatened by the surging flood waters.

[water rushing] [water sloshing] The advanced training, much like what we've seen here, proved crucial as rescuers faced an unprecedented storm.

Swift water rescues are obviously a matter of life or death.

How important is it to have trained swift water rescuers in these communities?

- So swift water, if you ever watch any type of major swift water event, the people that get caught in 'em obviously are life-threatened.

They cannot get outta where they're at.

If they could, they would have.

And if they stay where they're at, then things are not gonna go well.

But if you watch these major events, it is about the most dangerous thing a responder can do.

You don't know what the water's going to do.

So it is vital that emergency responders have a knowledge of how to operate around, and if needs be, in that swift water environment, but also to know their limitations and how to keep themselves outta danger.

- It's training many fire departments don't have easy access to.

Bryson Baucom works as a firefighter for the West Stanly Fire Department and Albemarle Fire Department.

He's tried to get swift rescue training in the past, but classes were often canceled because of bad weather or because river conditions were too dangerous.

But since this facility is indoors and climate-controlled, first responders now have a unique opportunity to train year-round, regardless of the weather.

How realistic is it?

Do you feel like, at some points, you're actually involved in a swift water rescue?

- Oh yeah, I do.

I like that it's controlled, just in case something goes wrong, because we're new and we're learning.

They're able to like control the speed and stuff and actually hone in on the teaching aspects and not worry about the river and what the river, Mother Nature's doing.

They can actually stop it and start it when needed.

[water rushing] - And so not only is this place protected from the weather.

It can simulate the weather, creating just about any weather condition you can think of.

So what all kind of weather events can you replicate here?

- There's lights over there, strobes that create a lightning effect.

And then we can also make it rain.

So that really, you can put 'em in an environment like they would be in if they were dealing with flash flooding, which is a storm with rain, lightning, and just a lotta distracting noises.

Once they get that down and they feel comfortable with that, then we cut the lights off.

[water rushing] [dramatic music] [people yelling] [dramatic music continues] [water continues rushing] [dramatic music intensifies] [water continues rushing] - [David] So while this facility is revolutionizing how we train rescuers, there's a broader mission at play here: preventing emergencies before they happen.

[gentle music] - Moving water could pick up a car with as little as six inches of moving water.

And the deeper it is, it could pick up trucks.

It can pick up whatever.

So trying to stay out of that water is vitally important.

So we hope to also educate the public and keep them out of position, so hopefully we don't have to do any of this work.

[gentle music continues]