To be effective on the fireground, firefighters must gain hands-on experience with the tools they will use there. Cutting tools, however, are tools that many cannot train with on drill night because there is nothing to cut. All companies that carry saws and other cutting tools should have a schedule for checking their serviceability. Full-size blades, blade sharpness, and fuel level are often the only things checked. However, they should also be tested under load to determine how efficiently they perform and whether or not your firefighters know how to use them. An excellent way to do this is to assemble cutting stations.
Many times training is only done verbally, which is fine for some topics. But with power tools, you need to actually use them. Talking about how they work and how you should use them only goes so far. Firefighters need to be comfortable handling the tool and knowledgeable about what it can and can’t do. Don’t let a firefighter’s first time using the saw be at a fire. You should have additional saw blades or chains just for training purposes.
Setting up a cutting station to train with doesn’t have to be elaborate or cost a lot of money. The idea behind a training prop is to help firefighters get a handle on the basics. The prop should aid in simulating what would be encountered in the real world. Beyond that, it will allow your firefighters the opportunity to get some hands-on training. Don’t get caught up in the fact that it’s not the real thing, adjust yourself to the real goal.
Any wood-cutting prop that allows a firefighter to get the saw bogged down because the cut was too deep or is large enough to simulate the sequence of cuts for a roof opening is beneficial. You want firefighters to practice what they have learned and get a feel for the tool.
Remember, you don’t need an exact duplicate of what you want to cut, especially when trying to prove a point. For example, after a recent drill where steel rods were cut using a metal cutting saw to simulate pad lock shackles, the conversation turned to cutting steel roll down security gates and how the saw’s blade (aluminum oxide) wears down quickly during that type of operation. The problem was we didn’t have any salvaged gates to practice on. So we used items available: discarded file cabinets. After making four vertical cuts and an inverted V cut on two separate cabinets, the blade was down to the size of a CD. Everyone witnessed first hand what had been discussed. Theory became reality, and a piece of junk became an indispensable training prop. Find what you need, build what you can afford, use your imagination, and do whatever it takes to improve your skills through hands-on training.
Ray McCormack is a 23-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York, serving as a lieutenant on Engine 69 in Harlem. He is a New York state-certified fire instructor, is a H.O.T. instructor in live fire attack at FDIC and FDIC West, and has lectured on engine company operations at FDIC and FDIC East. McCormack has a B.A. from New York Institute of Technology.
