Rescue 3 (UK) - Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service Training Academy - Access and Rescue School

Training Facilities

Located in the Southwest of England, the Training Academy Access and Rescue School uses a range of facilities to provide courses, specialising in swiftwater, rope rescue, confined space and powerboat training.

The River Dart Country Park is the preferred training venue for swiftwater rescue training courses, as it offers exceptional training facilities and is situated on the River Dart, one of the premier whitewater rivers in the UK. The River Dart is a natural river and has many natural features as well as changing water levels, both of which provide an excellent learning environment. Within the grounds of the Park itself is a section of river, which includes two weirs, as well as a leat-fed freshwater lake, which is used for basic (still), water training.

Full residential facilities with WiFi are available on the Dart site, enabling courses to be self-contained. In addition, there are a number of hotels in the local vicinity.

The Academy also uses various training facilities for rope rescue and confined space, both as man-made structures and also natural rock, crags and coastal cliff sites to provide a wide range of training evolutions and scenarios.

All the venues have fully equipped lecture rooms, drying rooms, showering facilities, and tea & coffee facilities.