| On Friday October 16th, Fire Chief Barry Messner of the Honey Brook Fire Company (after finishing his normal 40+ hour work week) departed at 6 pm for Washington D.C. for a weekend of training. The DC Firefighters Burn Foundation was hosting a training weekend taught by DC firefighters, officers, and instructors where 100% of the proceeds went towards funding the burn foundation which helps the firefighters and families of firefighters that may get burned on the job.
Chief Barry Messner arrived Friday night around 9pm and checked into a hotel in the navy yard section of Washington, D.C. Early Saturday morning the 10 minute trip was made to the DCFD training facility where final registration occurred and the schedule for the next two days was handed out. Saturday's two stations focused on firefighter survival issues such as bail out techniques where firefighter bailouts were taught by the DC Battalion Chief in charge of training. Students were shown the proper way to bail out of a window if conditions turn ugly inside a building and you need to get out ASAP. Different techniques were shown including a self rescue to lower yourself out of an upper story window with just a rope. The second station was and a turn in the flashover simulator in which one of the most misunderstood killers of firefighters today, the "flashover", can be reproduced in a controlled environment to show firefighter's the signs of what to look for and know what to do and when to get out when it gets bad. This simulator gives you an incredible experience of the power of fire and how it acts under certain conditions. After lunch engine company operation's were reviewed and practiced by advancing long lines and extending lines. Students had to deploy a 400 foot 1 1/2" preconnected handline off the rear of an engine, run it almost 300' to a set of Bilco Doors that lead into a basement of the burn building and then run it up four flights of stairs up to the fire floor, connect an additional 100' of hose, call for water and extinguish the "fire". Students also had to run a 100' standpipe rack up a drill tower four stories, lower the hose out a window to the pump operater, who had a handline ready for a connection and flow water. This whole operation from start to finish was accomplished in under 5 minutes.
Saturday evening, participants of the class were invited to a VIP gathering at "Duffy's Irish Pub" in the city. Students spent the evening enjoying a free dinner, socializing, and trading stories with firefighter's from many different areas such as DC, Virginia, Baltimore, South Carolina, New Jersey, Vermont, California, Kentland, and many more. Door prizes were given out and a good time was had by all.
Sunday started off with the forcible entry station where students practiced accessing steel roll up doors as well as reviewing forcible entry techniques with two simulators using a halligan bar, ax, and a wedge. After lunch the truck company operations station was attended. Students learned various operation's such as vent, enter, search (VES) and ventilation techniques.
When asked about the training Chief Messner said "Hands down, some of the best training I ever had"
http://www.dcffburnfoundation.org/ |
