Finding a way out

By Staff
Melissa Cason
I was on hand when the firefighters with the Russellville Fire Department underwent mayday training to sharpen their self-survival skills.
During the exercise, I was allowed to participate in the training, and learned that getting out of a burning building is more difficult than it looks.
First, they let me put on all of the equipment. It took me a few minutes to get used to wearing the thick layers of clothing, Then, they put the air pack on adding more weight.
The equipment was heavy, but manageable. Then, they put the air mask on with no visibility and finally, the helmet.
Of all the equipment on my body, the helmet seemed to be the heaviest.
They took me into a room, got me dizzy, and instructed me to get out before my air runs out. I had about five minutes.
I have to admit I had an advantage over the firefighters. I had seen the house just minutes before beginning the exercise so I had the floor plan in my head.
The firefighters were not allowed to see the house before their training exercise.
I was instructed to drop to my knees, and find my way out.
I crawled until I was able to touch a wall. Crawling sounds easy but it wasn't. The helmet's weight made it hard for me to stay on course. I found my way to the room opening, and went to my left once I found the hose. I remembered what Joe had showed me about the hose.
I kept crawling; following the hose since I knew it was attached to the fire truck.
As I kept crawling, the task became more difficult because of the helmet's weight. I almost fell over a few times.
For a minute I thought I was lost. I wasn't sure if I had made the right decision on going left. Then, I heard the voice telling me to get up.
The task was over. I was finished. I realized something that could be used in life not just firefighting: You know the way out, but it's hard to get there at the right time.