Hollywood Training
DEPARTMENTS
Training Notebook
The 1 3/4-inch attack line was pulled to the base of Fire Station No. 2’s stairway and flaked out prior to advancing up the stairs to the fire location. Outside, two 35-foot extension ladders were put in position for firefighters to climb onto the roof in anticipation of venting operations. Another company was covering furniture in the front office with salvage covers.
Another fire station fire? No, a training session simulating a fire in the second floor of the fire station.
The need for training, quality training, will never go away. Regardless of the multitude of other projects and programs heaped upon the firefighters from above, training is a necessity for firefighter survival. As Ron Coleman, chief of the Fullerton, CA, Fire Department, recently said, “Nothing that we can say or do, nor anything that we can give to the survivors of a firefighter will ever make up for a fatality caused by lack of knowledge.”
This lack of knowledge can be corrected by providing training in all aspects of our profession. However, “all aspects” does not necessarily mean equal treatment for all subjects.
An evaluation of your training needs is an appropriate place to start drafting a training program. This can be done by a systems’ approach which would take into account how much and what areas of training have been completed; an actual evaluation of manipulative and technical skills; an observation of the performance of tactical operations at emergencies; and, most important, the records of injuries occurring to the firefighter.
How do the costs associated with on-duty injuries compare to the budget dollars allocated for training? Is there a balance? I think you will find that a comparative analysis may be the “selling” point when recommending future programs.
PLANNING THE TRAINING
The concept of simulations in fire service training is not new. There are a variety of methods, many inexpensive, used by a variety of departments, from fully paid to volunteer.
Of course, the results of any training reflect the comprehensiveness or insufficiency of the program’s planning. It is absolutely necessary to plan, whether the training is for one company or for an entire battalion. Specific planning guides are available both within departments as well as from state and national sources.
Assigning a specific officer to plan the training is helpful. He should be responsible for developing the plan, scheduling, logistics, and documentation. Assign another officer as the safety officer. This is his sole responsibility and should be coordinated with the planner.
The element of surprise is excellent in training. This can be accomplished easily, providing that the involved persons (planners) have a sense of secrecy. Companies are dispatched non-emergency to the training scene, briefed, and participate in the planned evolutions. In my experience, this “surprise” element has been well-received by the firefighters. After all, we don’t get a warning before the real emergency, do we?
Raters (evaluators) are another necessity for successful training programs. These people should be dispersed throughout the operation to evaluate all aspects of the incident. For example, in a high-rise fire, one rater should be assigned to the base and/or lobby and the staging area; another one should evaluate the command post and incident commander; and a third should evaluate the fire attack and operations. Directions for the raters, including a rating/evaluation form, is an important factor.
SIMULATION IDEAS
Here are a few ideas for simulations that may assist you in your next training exercise:
Structural fires
In every city or town there are vacant buildings ready to be used as our training ground. Find that building, develop your training plan, schedule the companies, and implement the program. Hose line placement is an important tactical decision. Be demanding as to where the initial attack line is placed. This could make the difference between a quick knockdown, effective rescue operations, and minimum property damage.
Ventilation of the structure is an integral part of the initial attack and is accomplished in coordination with initial attack lines. Venting is not a support operation.
In simulating ventilation tactics, firefighters should perform all of the operations: gaining access, using the proper tools, and executing proper ventilation methods for the situation at hand.
When simulating a roof cutting operation, mark “cuts” on the roof surface with a heavy piece of chalk. In doing this, be realistic and have the firefighters describe the sequence of cuts and all of the safety procedures. Most important, when ventilation teams have completed their tasks, get them off the roof. We don’t need any more spectators.
Hazardous materials
The simulations for hazardous materials can vary with your department’s special needs. Smoke bombs can be used for vapor cloud travel. Ordinary flour dispersed in the accident area is an ideal method to determine the number of emergency personnel that have been contaminated, since flour is easily airborne and readily adheres to turnout gear. Removing the flour from personnel and equipment can be a good test of your decontamination procedures.
Your local railroad officials will probably be very cooperative in providing empty box cars or tank cars for your training. Don’t forget to invite the local law enforcement personnel, the Health Department, and other agencies that will be affected by a hazardous material incident to take part in training/pre-planning evolutions.
Brush and grass fires
For those departments with brush and wooded areas in their districts, biodegradable toilet paper can be used to simulate the actual fire line. Spreading the paper through the fuel (wooded area) and wetting it down with loaded lines can check a company’s wildland firefighting tactics. The paper will disappear when water is applied. For those departments with limited water supplies, this is also a good method of testing the most efficient use of available resources.
Another method of gauging water usage is to find a new housing development with homes partially completed. Assign companies to structure protection in this area, having them actually lay protection lines around the structures. This training will point out “geographically” how soon you exhaust resources. Relay and tanker operations are ideal training subjects in this situation.
High-rise fires
The ideal simulation fora high-rise fire is to use an existing building in your area. Buildings under construction are also appropriate, provided that they are in the finishing stages. The new high-rise codes provide for several built-in protective features, internal alarm systems, sprinklers, compartmentation, stair pressurization, etc., and the use of the fire control station, with whose operations firefighters should be very familiar.
If you don’t have a real high-rise building in your area, a three-story building will serve your purpose. The base can be located outside of the building. A room or ground floor can be used for a visual simulator or location to describe fire conditions to responding companies. A hallway or the base of stairways can be used for the lobby operations. The second floor hallway and/or a room can be used for the staging area and the operations commander. Fire attack teams can use the third floor as the fire location.
The monitoring of the time a fire attack team enters smoke is important. Using 30-minute cylinders, the fire attack crews should run out of air in 15 minutes. This timing aspect will make the training very realistic. The communications you employ are also important. Hard wire or portable radios will work very well.
Incorporate all of the other high-rise considerations into your training, especially logistics, and your next training exercise will be an experience for everyone involved.
SUMMARY
In Hollywood verbage, “That’s a wrap.” The training exercise is completed. However, there are these important follow-through items:
- Conduct a debriefing (or critique) session at the training site at the completion of the exercise for all officers and firefighters.
- Document the training exercise with a report that includes a description of the situation, resources used, actions taken, problems encountered, safety considerations, and recommendations for improvements.
This document should be distributed to both the participants in the training exercise as well as all other department personnel. Sharing the training experience is an excellent method of improving emergency operations.
“Hollywood training” can be a very viable part of your department’s training program. Simulations are the “application” and “test” phases of the learning cycle. The surprise element is an effective tool, adding realism to the training operation.
I have touched briefly on just a few ideas. The creativity of firefighters will surely add to these. Remember, the bottom line is that nothing takes the place of training, and training is the key to survival.
