Norfolk firefighters began seven days of intense training on Saturday, using the Ontario Fire Marshal’s mobile live fire training unit – a movable training tool that can simulate multiple scenarios faced by the volunteers.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to do practical, hands-on work,” said Mike Oxley, the training officer for the Norfolk County Fire Department.
Oxley said the 32 trainees and young firefighters who were doing scenarios Saturday morning, wearing their full gear and respirators, got practice in climbing into windows, testing floors for safety, ventilating, doing search and rescue, cutting roofs, vehicle fire suppression, moving heavy hoses, fighting grass fires and running an accountability board.
“Some people think the accountability board isn’t a very glamorous job but it’s critical,” Oxley said.
The board, a system used by most fire departments in Ontario, tracks the firefighters on the scene of an incident through a set of tags and radio communication. It’s always known how many workers are present and where they are, especially when working a building fire.
“It’s a lifeline and if we have a structural collapse, we want to know where everybody is.” said Oxley. “We use it even when responding to panel alarms, so it becomes second nature.”
Oxley liaised with the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office for months in order to secure and arrange for the special trailer unit – one of two in the province — to spend a week in Norfolk
“This has been months and months in planning and for the next seven days, there will be morning and night sessions with all the stations.”
Norfolk has 11 fire stations scattered throughout the county and 254 volunteer firefighters who respond to fire calls in their areas.
Fire chief Gord Stillwell said practising skills in the controlled, propane-burning trailer is a “great tool” for all firefighters.
“It gives them a lot of knowledge up front, before they have to face those tasks in the real world,” said Stillwell at the training site.
“It lets them be prepared because, the more safe they are, the safer it is for the community.”