Basic Volunteer Firefighter Training - Search and Rescue

Oglethorpe County is training 12 volunteer firefighters in Basic Volunteer Firefighter with Live Fire. The after-hours course gives students an introduction to, and practice performing, the skills necessary to protect life and property in the county. The Oglethorpe course is equivalent to the 95-hour, 2-week in-residence course offered by the Georgia Fire Academy at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. Because most volunteers cannot take that kind of time to attend the Forsyth course, the local course is essential in training new firefighters for the county.

The Organizer and Instructor is Douglas Spencer, Chief of the Vesta Volunteer Fire Department, President of the Oglethorpe Firefighters Association and a Georgia Fire/EMS Instructor. Jessie Carter of the Arnoldsville and Wolfskin Fire Departments is responsible for organizing many of the practical excercises, often with the help of Nicole Spencer of the Vesta Fire Department. Other members of the emergency responder community contribute special lectures, direct particular practice excercises or provide teaching and practice materials for the course. The course is held at the Arnoldsville Fire Department, the newest fire station in the county and an excellent venue. Special thanks to Chief Mike Eidson for making it available.

The students are Jacob Aaron, Zach Dudley, Alexis Maro and Mathew Pilcher of the Arnoldsville Fire Department, Robert Dyer and Christopher Owensby of the Lexington Fire Department, David Jett of the Vesta Fire Department, Rollin Marable of the Maxeys Fire Department, William Nation of the Devils Pond Fire Department, Heather Thaxton of the Crawford Fire Department, and Alexis Wahrenberg and Mary Titlle of the Pleasant Hill Fire Department.

The course began on September 9 and meets three evenings a week and most Saturdays. Instruction, practice and periodic exams conclude on November 21. A final exam and live structure fire will follow in order to obtain certification of the students as Volunteer Firefighters. Topics include: Safety; Health; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); CPR; Fire Behavior; Building Construction; Fire Extinguishers; Ropes and Knots; Rescue and Extrication; Forcible Entry; Ground Ladders; Ventilation; Water Supply; Fire Hose; Fire Streams; Fire Control; Fire Detection; Loss Control; Protecting Evidence; Communications; and Live Structure Fire. Most topics include practice and more practice.

Lecture and demonstrations of Rescue and Extrication were on Tuesday, October 8. On Thursday, October 10, the entire 4-hr class was devoted to practice. In two earlier classes the students had done what is known as a 'Hose Maze', breathing air from their BAs in very dim light while following a particular hose under and over obstructions and using arms, legs and tools to explore their surroundings for down civilians or firefighters. From these and other earlier excercises, they were comfortable in their PPE and BA and had a good idea of the capabilities of their teammates.The practice was directed by Steven Bray, a member of the Arnoldsville Fire Department and a member of the professional Rockdale Fire Department.

The first event was a special Hose Maze that included many overhead obstacles, very small restricted spaces to crawl through, complicated loops in the guiding hose, many other distracting hoses and unexpected falling and entrapping debris. Very challenging, and made more so because the students were blind, having their Nomex hoods covering their eyes. This mimics the usual heavy smoke conditions in a structure fire. All firefighters were on their hands and knees or their stomachs and breathing air from their BAs.

A team of two firefighters were told to follow a hose into a structure fire to locate and relieve the team ahead of them. This is part of the duty of a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) which should be a backup for any attack team in a structure. For every team inside, there is a RIT outside ready to immediately go inside with a charged hose. The lead firefighter must continually keep in contact with the hose that leads them to the team ahead and the second firefighter must keep in contact with the lead firefighter. They must talk to each other and be able to change positions without losing the hose or each other.

As challenging the first assignment was tonight, it lacked three other duties that make what Rescue Teams or RIT do virtually unbelievable: the teams tonight did not drag their own 200 ft of charged hose; they did not carry tools because they were not assigned to search as they advanced; and they did not have radios to communicate with their supervisors outside. Perhaps these will be added on other nights.

There were two overlapping courses with a common entry point and different exits. So two teams were often in the structure at the same time. Jessey Carter and Nicole Spencer coached, and Nicole harassed, one team and Steven Bray coached the other. After all five teams had gone through, Steven went through by himself with harassment by many of the students.

The second exercise required teams of four firefighters to locate and remove a firefighter in distress. This was done with the station lights off and Nomex hoods in normal position so that the firefighters had some vision.

Finally, rolling loose hose, laying the preconnect hose back on top of the Arnoldsville Rescue Pumper and returning the Fire Station to normal order.

Preparing to go inside in full PPE, BA with air and last-minute coaching.
A greeting by Nicole Spencer and some of the obstacles facing the students who are doing it blind.
The first team following the hose, making sure they are going the right direction (in this case 'smooth, bump, bump, back to the pump' is the wrong direction) and through the intermediate restricted space. For both these firefighters, this required careful removal of the BA, pushing it through the space and putting it back on once the firefighter was through the space. Then they are confronted by a confusing mess of hoses and still another obstacle.
The Second Team is directed by Nicole and Jessey and they nearly meet the First Team. Nicole simulates a falling wall and loose wires on the second firefighter of the Second Team.
The Third Team manages to go through the intermediate restricted opening without taking off their BAs. They than nearly collide with the Fourth Team.
The Fourth Team goes through the Small Restricted Opening and then is faced with a falling wall and fallen wires.
After coaching three teams, Steven Bray went through one of the courses himself, much to the amusement and admiration of the students. A plan is hatched to create an unmovable obstruction. Athough although he claimed he would be able to go through the small restricted space without removing his BA, that was not to be.
The Second Activity of the evening, Search and Extrication, where teams of four found and dragged a fallen firefighter from the structure.
Restoring the Fire Department to order and recovering hose and relaying the preconnect lines.