Prince Edward County Fire & Rescue hosted neighbouring firefighters from Tyendinaga Township, Mohawk Fire, Tweed and Stirling Fire for training on one of two of the province’s state-of-the-art Mobile Live Training Units parked next door to Station 1 in Picton – on the spot that is quickly developing as the new firefighter training centre for Prince Edward County.
The modular unit, manufactured by Dräger, in Kingston, is capable of being reconfigured to simulate the working environment of a structure fire.
The walls inside the unit can be changed so firefighters training cannot memorize the path to the fire after each evolution. The unit’s design attempts to simulate several scenarios including a kitchen and living room fire and is equipped with training props including a stove and couch made of steel. The props can emit controllable, propane-fueled flames. The training unit is also equipped with a theatrical smoke machine which limits visibility inside the compartments. These features enhance the training experience of firefighters in a controlled environment.
Two instructors from the Ontario Fire College are on site as the eyes and ears of the firefighters for safety and guidance. One instructor occupies the command centre and is responsible for monitoring the conditions of the simulator to ensure the safety of the crew inside. The command center is equipped with a video monitor of each area, a control system for the fire and important safety features like emergency shut down and ventilation. The second instructor works with each team by entering the simulator to control the flames and supervise the crew for safety, and to evaluate the performance of each training evolution.
“The key to it all is team work,” said Tim Kraemer, Deputy Chief for Prince Edward County Fire & Rescue. “The members of our training division including training officer Patrick Howe and instructor Dale Milligan who both have put a lot of effort into the development of lesson plans, safety plans, training schedules and instruction to make this amazing opportunity happen right here in Prince Edward County.”
This unit enables the fire department to deliver practical skills to new firefighters including forcible entry, fire attack techniques, hose management, communications and situation awareness. This unit also provides experienced firefighters with the opportunity to practice and hone fundamental skills and advanced firefighting techniques.
“This is the perfect opportunity to practice techniques and use our equipment in a controlled environment,” added Kraemer, expressing his gratitude to all of the members of the department who participated.
“A lot of effort by our members is what makes this type of training successful. Firefighters, instructors and fire officers contribute to the delivery of training through support roles and through participation in the practical evolutions.”
The Ministry of the Solicitor General purchased two of the training simulators for use by Ontario Fire Services. One travels the northern region of Ontario; the other throughout the southern region. PEC Fire and Rescue applied last fall to have the unit on scene. Kraemer says the units have been such as success that the province has committed to purchasing two more.
It’s the scene’s incident commander who comes up with the action plan and communicates with the firefighters to monitor the effectiveness of a plan and the safety of the crew.
“They will call out every few minutes and do checks on them as part of the personnel accountability report,” said Kraemer. “And they’re looking for information like what are the conditions like inside; what are their actions and needs of the crew while checking on how much air they have left in their cylinders and if all the firefighters are present and accounted for.”
Tags on a firefighters’ helmet are given to the accountability officer on the scene. The white tag means they are on the scene; the red tag means the firefighter is working in an environment that is immediately dangerous to life and health.
Live fire training is critical to the safety and success of firefighters, adds Kraemer. Firefighters and officers must be equipped with the knowledge to recognize the hazards of their working environment to determine if entry is possible or they need to evacuate a structure.
“Today’s fires grow exponentially faster than ever and they’re much hotter than ever before as a result of the contents within a structure. Prior to entry, fire personnel observe visible cues such as quantity, colour and movement of smoke. They spray the door of entry with water to gauge the level of heat behind the door and avoid disruption of the thermal layer as they control or attack the fire.”
Firefighters must always be aware of changing conditions including hazards like the potential for collapse of engineered systems (such as stairs, floors, etc) of lightweight construction.
Kraemer explains firefighters also train to have awareness of where they are in the structure as they combat the fire and search for occupants.
“Firefighters are trained to systematically navigate their way through a fire. They do this by maintaining contact with a wall and each other as they work their way through the building, so they don’t get lost. We do that by assigning each side of the structure with a name. ‘Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta’ – every side of a building always gets identified. This helps us plan our attack or rescue and maintain situational awareness and location of our people.”
Firefighters may have limited or no visibility within a building so they memorize the side of the building they entered, and characteristics of the building prior to entry. They stay low for protection from heat and make their way through the building in a specific direction while using the sense of touch to locate walls, windows and doors so they know where they are.
“Today the firefighters are practicing different techniques to attack a fire in a simulated living room, then as the morning progresses, we’re ramping up the challenges and we’re igniting a second fire in the kitchen. What that does, is it teaches firefighters to maintain situational awareness… They often can’t see in there, so they learn rely upon each other to know what’s going on around them and use their senses to feel the temperature changes around them and listen for the sounds of fire to know what is going on around them; a fire may be growing behind them, or banking out, rolling up and across the ceiling.”
Teams of two or three firefighters go in to attack the fire. A backup team is standing outside ready to make emergency entry to support the interior team for rapid intervention and exterior hose management.
“It makes it easier for the firefighters on the inside to drag the hose and get it to where it needs to be to get to the seat of the fire. You don’t have to work as hard every time if you’re not fighting the hose on turns, edges of walls, corners or obstacles. Working together as a team to make the job easier.
In the third evolution, on the mobile unit, firefighters climb to the top of the simulator using exterior stairs and enter the simulator from the second story and walk down the interior stair to simulate the attack of a basement fire.
And while fire is the operative word, Kraemer says people must get out of buildings quicker than ever now because often, it is the smoke that kills people, as today’s buildings burn faster, hotter, and more toxic than ever before.
“Smoke. That’s what kills people. The carbon monoxide, the hydrogen cyanide…. so that’s why we’re talking about awareness of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Early detection and an escape plan are the best chance of surviving a fire.”
While many are getting the message to replace their batteries twice a year, and the detectors themselves before their 10-year due date, he says people need to be aware that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms don’t last forever and batteries need to be changed. Some alarms are wired to the house electrical system and are also equipped with batteries to keep the alarm operational during a power outage.
So as long as there will be fires and emergencies, the firefighters will continue their training to and maintain their knowledge and hone skills.
The provincial government introduced the mandatory firefighter certification regulation in July of 2022. Firefighters must be trained and certified to perform their duties. The deadline for firefighter certification is July of 2026. All new firefighters who perform interior operations must be certified within two years of joining the department. By 2028 fire personnel must be certified to perform technical services such as water/ice rescue.
In Ontario, fire services are required to train to their firefighters using an approved curriculum and keep records of their training. After training, firefighters are evaluated through testing to ensure they are competent. Firefighters who successfully pass testing receive National Fire Protection Association certifications from the Office of the Fire Marshall.
Kraemer says the department is now hosting more firefighter training than ever before – centralized out of Station 1 in Picton which has a classroom, and soon the new training area next door. The department will continue to make use of the Hastings & Prince Edward County Mutual Aid Association training grounds in Quinte West.
The idea for a training site in Picton was pitched and supported by local firefighters, for firefighters.
He praises long-time firefighter Steve Everall who spearheaded the grassroots initiative to create the training facility.
“He laid out a path to make this happen and it generated support from many community partners such as Picton Home Hardware for materials and Dan Claxton Electric who provided electricity to the site so they will no longer have to rely on noisy generators and can also practice through the night with lighting on scene.
Base31 donated two shipping containers which will be modified to create a building to practice techniques like forceable entry, search and rescue, ladder deployment, ventilation and so much more. They also hope to put in a fire hydrant to support training operations.
Kraemer says the firefighters are thankful to be able to have training closer to home. They no longer train on the heights but continue to participate in training at the Hastings Prince Edward Mutual Fire Air Training Complex in Trenton – shared by 17 fire departments of the Hastings region and Loyalist College.
“Having it here enables the opportunity for our firefighters to train close to home – they have more time to train when they don’t have to travel as far or contend with loss of day light as the seasons change. It’s great to be able to learn and practice skills and achieve certifications right here in the County.”
Last week firefighters received a combined total of 488 hours of training through the mobile unit. Kraemer hopes it will be able to return next year.
“It’s a huge commitment of time, energy and resources to come train and I can’t wait to see how this grows. I really have to extend thanks and appreciation to our local supporters and businesses, the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office and most of all to our firefighters and our fire instructors.”