'First responders' host day of demonstrations
First responders spend day educating public about who they are and what they do
The parking lot behind the old building in Superior on Saturday became the sight of several incidences. A Hazmat shower was ready to wash off anyone who'd been exposed to dangerous chemicals and the Mineral County search and rescue was on sight. Two cars had crashed and the Superior Volunteer Fire and the West End Volunteer Fire teams were ready to extricate any victims using the Jaws of Life. Of course, everything happening in the parking lot was only a demonstration and was part of the day's bigger event to, "Come and Meet Your First Responders."
"I'm trying to get the community aware of what's going on and what these people do," said Adam Cole, who organized the event. "Everybody who's out here volunteers their time away from work and we go to hours of extra training that we don't get paid for."
John Woodland, fire chief in Superior, said that an event like the one on Saturday gives them a chance to let people see what they do because a lot of the time unless they're directly involved they don't get to. Woodland said that it also gives them an opportunity to let people know that they are always looking for more volunteers.
"We're always looking for new people and this is an opportunity for people to see what we do and maybe become interested in what we do," Woodland said.
The West End Volunteer Fire was also in town and set up to demonstrate to the public how to use the Jaws of Life. With an old car propped up, and a victim trapped underneath, they were ready to show the public the process of the steps they take to save lives.
Cody Reiche, who used the jaws to pull off the driver's side car door for the Mineral Independent, said that when the whole team is working they have both sides and the top off in less than five minutes. Reiche first located an entrance point and then used the jaws to tear the door off the car. Reiche explained that they would also roll up the dashboard so they could remove someone who was stuck inside.
Between the two Jaws of Life demonstrations, Kat Tjensvold was ready to explain to the public how a Hazmat situation works, which is dealing with the containment and cleanup of spills. She said that the most common situation that they might respond to is a wrecked diesel, but said they have the abilities to take care of everything.
Tjensvold explained the different types of pads they have that soak up spills and also about the booms that they place around a spill to contain it and prevent it from moving toward water. The "pig" is a containment pool that the team can place underneath a vehicle that has a leak. Also set up was the Hazmat shower, which Tjensvold explained is used to clean somebody off who has something on their skin.
Search and rescue also set up shop inside the parking lot showing off equipment and what they do when they head out to look for someone. Ambulances and patrol cars were on scene and a helicopter also flew in for the day. Free hot dogs, hamburgers and water were also handed out.
Cole said that he hoped by the end of the day that more people would realize what first responders do and are responsible for.
"I believe that most people only see a percentage of what they might read through a newspaper," Cole said. "We don't get paid to be out here and we're out constantly. I don't think that they realize the in-depth training. But we just want to give back to this community as much as we can. It's just about helping people. We don't sacrifice all of our time for the glory of it."
Cole said this was the first time that an event like this had been done and he said they are hoping to make it an annual event.