Train Like You Mean It

An engine pulls up in front of the structure and the crew pulls off a line and heads toward the front door, seeing smoke showing from a second-story window.

The crew members mask up, crack open the nozzle to check for water flow, and make entrance into the structure while another engine, quint, and rescue arrive. The engine crew supplies the attack crew with water from a nearby hydrant and shortly thereafter the attack crew declares the fire knocked down and retreats out of the structure. Wait a minute; let me rewind and start from the beginning prior to all this happening.

Four separate fire departments that run regular mutual-aid calls got together for a routine monthly drill that I happened to be observing. The battalion chief explained the scenario to all crew members and finished by saying, “TRAIN LIKE YOU MEAN IT.”

Now let’s go back to the training evolution that this engine crew just completed; what I didn’t see was the use of a thermal imaging camera (TIC). If you’re going to train like you mean it, then why wouldn’t you use all your tools? If this was the real thing, you would want to be fully equipped and at your best. The more you use the TIC during training, the more proficient you will become.

So, let’s go back to that training evolution. This time, the captain gets off the engine with a TIC in hand. He quickly does a 360° situational awareness search covering the chimney and vents; across the roof level working down to the eaves, walls, doors, and windows; and down to the basement or crawlspace area as the line is being stretched. With the information gathered from this 360° search, the crew enters through the front door where the captain can now direct his firefighters where to go. This is called an imager-directed search.

A quick primary search confirms that the structure is vacant. Or is it? People will seek shelter from fire in many places. Shower stalls and bathtubs in bathrooms seem to be the most popular places to hide. The resident closes the bathroom door and puts a towel to seal the crack under the door to prevent the smoke from getting in. He then seeks refuge inside the tub enclosure or shower stall, closing the shower curtain or glass door.

Read more

• 347
• 0
• Article rating: No rating