Plains firefighters receive additional training

PLAINS – A plume of dark, toxic smoke rose into the air behind the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire Department as the firefighters completed their final training of the weekend.

The firefighters busied themselves since Friday with a variety of different training seminars, stretching from radio communication traffic to exterior fire attack.

Assistant Chief James Russell said Friday began with a basic firefighter class; something the department plans on doing when new volunteers join their crew. The training then included wearing the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus. The Plains City Volunteer Fire Department also participated in the training efforts.

“We covered the basic stuff that we all need to know and use before they go out on a call,” said Russell. “Giving people a little bit more information, a little bit of experience beforehand keeps them safer, us safer, and it gives a better environment of people feeling like they know what they are doing.”

The trainings help each member become more useful when responding to a scene.

Although a handful of the firefighters have professional training from a fire academy, most do not. And that is where most of the training sessions come into play.

“The reality is we still have the same responsibilities as any fire department in the country has, same training requirements really,” explained Russell.

Eventually the department hopes to be well enough trained to run in three-person crews, something that has not been done in years prior.

“A three-person crew that knows what it’s doing is way more effective than 15 people running around, not coordinating what they are doing,” said Russell.

In an effective three-person crew, each firefighter has a designated job they stick too, essentially becoming an expert on that specific duty, which would allow for better communication during a job. Since crew structure is already established, a lot of the guesswork would be taken out of the job.

Since no one knows who will be showing up to call, extensive training would be key to make the three-person crew a possibility.

“If we all train in similar environments then we’ll be able to take people that may or may not have trained together but know the same information and have the same experience so they can combine and do the same job,” explained Russell, stating that is the goal of all the firefighter standards.

In a hands-on training event, the firefighters put out a semi truck cab that was filled with debris and doused with some kind of lighter fuel. As the cab was engulfed in flames, toxic smoke shot up in a single dark column. The firefighters were dispatched on the radios, preparing them for a real call. The three-person crew consisting of Patrick Bischof, Ron King and Tim Kinsinger battled the flames, soaking the debris after the flames were put out. Despite some troubles, the team managed to work together to get the job done.

“Once you get something knocked down like this, you can kind of see where it’s going to start burning,” said Russell. “You’ll be able to see water evaporate and that’s where it’s still hot.”

The task that may seem simple at first becomes more complicated when the firefighters are fully suited in their Personal Protective Equipment and their Self Contained Breathing Apparatus.

“It’s all fun and games until you have your PPEs and SCBAs on,” said Russell with a laugh, explaining that both the movement and range of motion is different.

Although the trainings provided the firefighters with multiple opportunities to expand their skills, Russell said they are still far from perfect. But that is what practice is all about. The department plans to make the trainings more available to their firefighters; training them in all the skills they need to succeed on a certain job.