Firefighters always preparing
In any situation, it’s always good to be prepared, and the Franklin County Fire Association took that concept seriously last week as they went through vital training that will help them learn to be safe and to save others.
A little over a year ago, the Alabama Fire College acquired a fire training trailer that would simulate a real structure fire situation in order to provide specialized training for firefighters in a safe and controlled environment.
Last week, the trailer made its first stop in Franklin County at the Russellville Fire Department Station 1 on South Jackson Avenue, and all the fire departments in the county were invited to participate in training.
Russellville Fire Chief Joe Mansell said the training the local firefighters receive from this trailer is invaluable to the task they have of protecting the citizens they serve.
“When you are fighting an actual house fire, that’s not the time to be training – to be learning what to do and what not to do,” Mansell said. “When you train in a controlled environment like this, if someone does something wrong or if the instructor thinks they need to improve on something, you can just go back and do it again.
“With a real house fire, you only get one chance. That’s it. And if you mess up there, people’s lives and safety are at stake.”
John James, Regional Training Coordinator with the Alabama Fire College, served as the instructor for the training. James was able to control the fires, in tow separate locations in the trailer, with the push of a button. If something went wrong, needed to be redone or if it was simply time for a new group to come in and train, James was able to simply let off the button.
“The conditions inside that trailer are just like they would be during an actual fire,” James said. “It can get up to 800 degrees inside there and there are real flames.
“It teaches different techniques and scenarios like having a door on top of the trailer and stairs leading down so they can practice fighting a basement fire. We can also fill it up with smoke and do search and rescue exercises with a rescue doll so they can be prepared in that type of situation, too.
“The main thing is, these guys are getting to practice these important aspects of firefighting in a safe environment,” James said. “This is the time to make mistakes because we can learn from them, improve on them and then go out and do the best job we know how.”
This type of realistic training can be very intense, so Mansell said he was proud of the departments in the county fire association for wanting to take part in it.
“Even though we have structure fires here in the county, we don’t get a whole lot of opportunity to fight those fires, so it’s great these guys want to come out and get this kind of training,” Mansell said. “It’s good to see them take that initiative.”
The firefighters participating in the training can see the difference it makes and know that what they went through last week is only preparing the for when they’re faced with the real thing someday.
“It’s a great thing as far as the safety goes,” RFD Lt. Justin Green said. “It’s also very realistic because this trailer simulates a lot of the things you see in an actual fire and it does it well.
“Around here you can do a lot of training with smoke, but you can’t really get the kind of heat you experience and that’s what usually gets to people – the heat. Training with that element here helps you be prepared so it doesn’t get to you so bad in the middle of a call.”
Mansell said another advantage to last week’s training is the opportunity to train with multiple departments, something they don’t do on a normal basis.
“We only had this one week with the trailer, so we were all training together, but that’s really an invaluable experience in itself,” Mansell said. “Anytime there is a major fire in this area, we’ll all be working together to get it under control.
“While each department may know one another because they have trained together over the years, if you’re working with people from a different department on a fire, it’s beneficial to know them, too, and to have some experience training with them.
“In that type of situation, you want your partner to know what you’re thinking without having to tell them. Training all together can help us get familiar with one another and be able to do that.”
Mansell said he was very appreciative the Fire College allowed them to use the trailer and gave them the opportunity to train locally.
“With the economy in the shape that it’s in, we just can’t send everyone to Montgomery to the Fire College,” Mansell said. “This trailer gives everyone a chance to participate, so that’s just one more reason why it’s so important.”
Also helping financially, Mansell said Dowdle Gas provided the fire association with natural gas to use during the training, which saved the fire association some money as well.
“We accomplished a lot this week and it will only help us be better at what we do,” Mansell said.
