Structure Fire Control Class

Saturday was Structure Fire Control class at the Training Facility in Washington. Ed Frey, Brian Mixon, Andy Rusk and Glenn Galau drove over and arrived on the dot at 8:00 am for a full day of work. Scott Snyder and Wayne Hughes had also planned on the event but were unable to go.  The Structure Fire Control Training Facility in Washington GA Several of us had been there before. The metal building simulates a two story house with propane fires in several rooms on each floor. Students are divided up into crews of four, assigned an instructor, and during several cycles, called evolutions, attack the fires starting from different floors. A lot of up and down stairs dragging a charged hose and in the dark and wet attacking fires in simulated beds, sofas, stoves and other props. The students rotate their positions on the hose with each evolution. The focus is on technique, teamwork and physical fitness, rather than to give the students a real-life fire to control. So a lot of instruction by the crew instructors is an essential part of the training.   It started with checks of blood pressure and if equipment met standards, and then dealing with PPE and BAs that just didn't cooperate today      Our crew before the evolutions began: Ed, Jim, Brian, Nick and Andy Jim Parish is from McDuffie County Fire and Rescue and the crew instructor was Nick Nesbitt from Martinez Columbia Fire and Rescue. Nick was with the crew through all of the exercises. Several other instructors were on safety station inside and outside of the structure. Somehow they were fairly easy to pick out of the crowd even in full PPE.    Safety Instructors It is just not the four fire fighters on their own. Backup crews have to help feed or take up hose. Charged safety lines are manned if anything goes wrong. Nothing happens until everything is confirmed to be in place and everyone knows what their job is. In the photo below, the open door on the right on top and the one in the middle on the bottom floor lead to the rooms where the fires are controlled. No fires now; both control room doors are open Discussion before the first evolution   Up the outside stairs for an interior, down-the-stairs attack   The crew ahead gets directions and our crew feeds hose    And this is what they confronted about five times during their descent, taken from inside the first-floor control room. In the bottom photo my reflection is on the left and reflection of the control room and the director is the right. A safety instructor is in the center and the crew on the left is suppressing a fire in the simulated kitchen   In the left photo, the nearest fire fighter is a safety instructor. In the right photo, he was against the window with the next crew At the end of the day after finishing all the evolutions

New Year's Eve Call

A 6:30 AM call on Dec 31 to a structure fire on Bear Mill Road. Tanker (Wayne, driver, and Ed) and Andy and Glenn responded. Lisa came associated with first responders/EMS. We were called via automatic aid for Crawford FD, which covers this area. Maxeys FD was there, Arnoldsville FD as well. If I've missed anyone, let me know.

We supplied water to Arnoldville and emptied the tank. Ed and Andy donned BAs and worked within the structure. Glenn returned to station in order to gather up more air cylinders if needed.

There's no good time to lose a home, but New Year's Eve must be the worst. There was a smoke inhalation injury, and a lift for that.

Notes: A rain a couple of days earlier made direct travel from WFD Station difficult along the dirt roads. The tanker successfully forded the two places that Barrow Creek crosses, but there were two places along Bear Mill Road where the clay was very slippery. Take the long route through Crawford and down Hway 77 when conditions have been wet.

As well, a safety issue: several times thick smoke enveloped pump operators on apparatus close to the scene. There's no such thing as clean smoke, but smoke from a burning structure is filled with noxious junk. Parking apparatus farther away from the structure will help, especially in early morning or late evening hours when smoke does not disperse well.

We were fairly done by 10:30am, refilled the tanker, and back at the station to refill BAs. Thanks to Glenn, Andy, Ed, Wayne, and Lisa.