Chaffee, Western New York | Our county has a lot of classes, and our company has WAY too much equipment for the membership, and run two ambulances. Between all the inspections (equipment inventory, anything that burns gasoline has to be run once a month, SCBA inspection, maintenance), classes, EMS calls, and the typical business of meetings and fundraising, having good drilling is something we need to do more of.
Once a year usually in the winter, we go over ladders and the cascade system.
We cut up at least a dozen cars a year for training. Have borrowed an extinguisher training burner. Most pumping is just trying to keep up with the required testing of the dry hydrants or "shopping".
Almost every pump op this last year has been around a purchase. Some guys really wanted to go to an adjustable nozzle from our smooth bore. This Monday we flow tested Mercedes hose and compared it to the National that is failing.
We have a chief who's day job is with Homeland security. He likes to plan large elaborate drills. This Saturday is going to be a multi County search and rescue/off-road drill.
His previous one was a school bus MCI drill where he had a few classes of EMT students be the patients. Landfill provided the space and flipped the bus with a big loader.
When I joined we had a maze. It had all kinds of entanglements and entrapment obstacles. Bedroom, bathroom to hide and retrieve a dummy or other Firefighter. It got torn apart and smaller less complicated props constructed.
We need to do more parking break to first water and forceable entry.
I haven't seen anything burning in two years. Never in the right place at the right time.
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training ideas for rural fire departments.`
