As with every meeting/training night, we begin with a recap of events and calls the department has responded to since the previous meeting. This meeting covered two calls which no firefighter enjoys talking about (as evidenced in recent news reports). We will not go into detail about those calls on our website out of respect to the families, first responders involved, and other reasons. We will instead talk about some things we have observed and learned to improve our firefighters’ response.
Assistant Chief Tim Freeman discussed the importance of radio communications on calls. One of the primary messages he wants to emphasize is that all firefighters should switch over to Direct when they arrive on scene. It is also important to transmit short messages with necessary information and leave the frequency open and free of chatter so life-saving messages can get through to Incident Command.
Tim also emphasized the importance of “Turn Around; Don’t Drown”. Though it has become a repeated catchphrase, he discussed the importance of firefighter safety when responding to water rescues. He reminded firefighters to remove bunker gear prior to attempting a rescue so no one had to “rescue the rescuer”, as the gear can quickly become heavy and drag responders under.
Tim also discussed the need to carry spare supplies on the trucks. Due to recent calls being in remote locations and through thick brush and down steep embankments, the need for extra gloves (which were punctured or torn on the way to the scene) and other items was made clear. Bags containing back up equipment will be added to the trucks.
For the remainder of the evening, firefighters refilled the tanks on the trucks, scrubbed hoses, swept floors, cleaned trucks, sharpened the chains on chainsaws, and checked to make sure the equipment on the trucks was ready for responding to emergencies! The Junior Firefighters are very hands-on and help with all parts of the preparation!
We are always looking for volunteer firefighters, so if you are interested, join us on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at Station #1 in Warsaw at 6:30 PM!
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