FAQs

GENERAL INFORMATION

Roco was founded in May 1982 as a Louisiana corporation. Our headquarters and Roco Training Center are located in Baton Rouge with field offices in New York and New Mexico. The company has three (3) main business divisions: Training, Services and Equipment.

To view a brief timeline highlighting Roco’s major company milestones click here.

Roco (pronounced “Rō-Cō”) is not an acronym. Rather it is the combination of the two last names of the original founding members back in 1982 (Michael Roop and Russell Cook). As Louisiana Police SWAT members, they were tasked with developing high angle rope techniques for the department. Once they began teaching these skills, the word spread, and they were soon teaching local fire departments and other agencies across the nation. They eventually decided to form a company to offer rescue training and specialized equipment. As they say, “And the rest is history.” Sadly to say, one of the founders, Mr. Cook, passed away in 2016. He will always be remembered as the “CO” part of Roco. Today, Roco is owned by Kay Goodwyn, and the company has been a WBENC certified woman-owned company since 1996.

Mission: Roco sets the standard for saving lives and keeping rescuers safe.

Motto: There’s a safe way, and a safer way!

Values: Honesty – Integrity – Service

Vision: To provide the highest quality training, equipment and services, while treating our customers and co-workers with courtesy, honesty and respect.

Creed: “I will make you into a great nation (company). I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.” – Genesis 12:2

We are proud to have been named an OSHA VPP Star Worksite (2013), which is the highest level within the program and one of the nation’s top safety awards. VPP stands for “voluntary protection program,” which is designed to promote effective worksite-based safety and health. The program recognizes a select group of companies where employers and employees have instituted a comprehensive and effective safety program.

In our 35+ year history, we are proud to have achieved the following:

  • Certified by the WBENC as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (1996)
  • Recognized as an OSHA VPP Star Worksite (2013)
  • Certified to ISO 9001:2015 (2020)
  • Served as a Department of Defense Contractor (2008)

Roco trains approximately 3,000 students each year. These students come from fire and police departments, the U.S. military and industrial rescue teams from around the globe. In the past 38+ years, we have trained in excess of 50,000 students.

TRAINING

We offer a wide variety of confined space and high angle rescue training, fall protection, tower work and rescue, and trench rescue. We also offer First Aid/CPR/AED training as well as Confined Space Entrant, Attendant and Supervisor courses. Courses and workshops can be developed to fit the customer’s specific needs. For more information, see Course Descriptions on our website.

Many of our training classes are conducted at the Roco Training Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. However, most of our programs can be conducted at different sites including the customer’s location. We offer the option of “open-enrollment” classes as well as privately scheduled programs, which can be customized to the customer’s site-specific needs.

Some of the more unusual locations we have conducted training include the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center and Hoover Dam, to name a few.

The Roco Training Center (RTC) is located at 8274 Merle Gustafson Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70807. It is in north Baton Rouge near the Metro Airport and across from the Baton Rouge Fire Department Headquarters at Harding Blvd.

NOTE: The Roco Training Center is not located at our Headquarters location in south Baton Rouge.

You will need to bring the following:

  • Helmet or hardhat with chinstrap
  • Headlamp or flashlight
  • Safety glasses
  • Ear protection  (as needed)
  • Gloves
  • Comfortable work clothing (long pants or jumpsuit)
  • Ankle-supportive footwear
  • Thermos or cooler for breaks
  • Raingear recommended

Note: Roco provides rescue harnesses, rope and hardware. Students are responsible for providing all necessary personal protective equipment (PPE).

Typical “open-enrollment” class hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (unless otherwise noted)

The dress code includes comfortable work clothing (long pants or jumpsuit) with ankle-supportive footwear in addition to required PPE. Again, raingear is recommended.

Probably one of the best things you can do to prepare for a Roco rescue course is to download our “Rescue Knots for Roco Students” located in Resources on our website. This will help you get familiar with the knots that you will be using in the class. Detailed Student Study Guides are provided at the beginning of the class. An additional reference that is available for purchase is the Roco Rescue Pocket Guide, which features most of the techniques taught in our classes.

Open-enrollment (or pre-scheduled) courses are conducted throughout the year and are open to the public. These classes provide a great way to train up new team members. Privately scheduled courses are conducted exclusively for one customer with their choice of dates, times and locations. Any of our open-enrollment programs can be customized to fit the client’s needs as a private course.

A key question to ask is whether or not you want Rescue Technician certification…

Roco offers Confined Space Rescue and Rope Rescue Technician certification based on the guidelines of NFPA 1006 Professional Qualifications Standard in our Fast-Track™ and technician level programs.

Otherwise, if certification is not a key factor, we suggest our Urban/Industrial Rescue Essentials™ course. For more information, check out our Where Do I Start? page.

Roco Certificates of Completion are provided to all students successfully completing a course. Typically, for open-enrollment courses, certificates are provided at the end of the class. For private courses, all certificates are mailed to the client contact.

For Roco Rescue Technician certification programs, student test scores and certificates are mailed within four (4) weeks. Students successfully passing both the skills performance and written testing will receive a Roco “Rescue Technician” wallet card in addition to a course certificate.

Roco’s certification program is based on the skills requirements of NFPA 1006 Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications. It also covers the individual rescuer skills listed in NFPA 1670 Standards on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents.

While OSHA 1910.146 Permit-Required Confined Spaces is a performance-based regulation, Roco’s certification to a national consensus standard provides excellent documentation for meeting the individual skills proficiency requirements. The practical scenarios conducted in our courses also document rescue practice as required by 1910.146.

Although NFPA does not prescribe a specific time period, Roco certifications are valid for a period of two (2) years.

Every effort is made to give students adequate practice time. However, if a skill is not successfully completed during testing, one (1) additional attempt is allowed. For written testing, participants are given an additional opportunity to re-take the exam online. Otherwise, the certification program will need to be repeated.

EQUIPMENT

As you can see in our Shop, we represent all the leading manufacturers of rescue equipment. If you don’t see an item that you were looking for, please call our office at 800-647-7626, or email us at info@RocoRescue.com. Most likely, we can get it for you!

You can get an equipment quote in one of three ways… by calling our office (800-647-7626); by emailing info@RocoRescue.com; or by going to the Shop section of our website.

Simply add your items to the cart and click on the “View Cart” button.

Our payment terms are as follows:

  • Equipment: Net 30 days with approved credit; otherwise, VISA, MasterCard and American Express are accepted.
  • Training (Open-Enrollment): Prepaid.
  • Training (Privately Scheduled): Due Upon Completion.
  • Services: Net 30 days with approved credit.

Stocked inventory orders typically ship the same day if the order is received prior to 2:00 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday. “Special order” lead times will be verified with the manufacturer at time of inquiry/order.

If you’re not sure exactly what equipment you need, call our office (800-647-7626) or email info@RocoRescue.com. One of our equipment technicians will be glad to assist you – or we can have one of our rescue instructors contact you for more technical assistance. All Roco equipment kits can be customized to fit your specific needs.

We want you to get the right equipment for the job, so don’t hesitate to ask!

New (unused) equipment may be returned within 30 days with proof of purchase. Please note that because our products are life safety equipment, they normally cannot be re-sold once used or unpackaged.

Warranties vary by manufacturer, but most warranties are designed to cover defects in materials and workmanship for a specified period of time. Check the manufacturer’s specifications or contact Roco for assistance at (800) 647-7626.

Absolutely. Roco kits are designed by our instructors to make equipment selection and deployment easier for our customers. However, modifications may be made to any of our equipment kits.

SERVICES AND CSRT

The following services are available on a nationwide basis with the exception of marine stand-by, which is available in select locations.

Yes, we conduct Service jobs from 1 day to multiple years at construction sites, including plant expansions. In fact, we have been continuously located at one manufacturing facility for more than 20 years.

Roco Services offer the advantages of having experienced emergency responders on site, who are accustomed to working in high-stress industrial rescue environments. Most of our personnel are EMT’s and many are COSS-trained (Certified Occupational Safety Specialists). Quite a few have firefighter and/or military backgrounds. We can also provide added support for your in-house rescue team during turnarounds or exceptionally busy times. Services are available on a nationwide basis. For more information, contact our office at (800) 647-7626 or info@RocoRescue.com.