Channel 12 News
produced a 2 part feature story titled A Burning
Desire - a weekly account of the 1st Civilian Fire Academy and one of
its students. Click below to see the video.
Progress Report - C.F.A. 2002
Week 1 - Orientation, Organization and Administration
Students were welcomed to the class by the Fairfield
1st Selectman, Kenneth Flatto. Additionally, Fire Commissioners, the Fire
Chief, the Union President and various other town government officials were
all on hand to kick off this new program. The members of Company 1-D Platoon
also attended the first class and welcomed students.
Not wasting any time, students were introduced to the
structure of the fire department and assigned into 3 companies. The students
will be assigned duties both inside the building and on the drill ground by
these company assignments. This class also addressed general emergency
management from the very first call for help to the arrival and deployment
of fire companies. An actual 911 tape was played for the class.
Students were also taught valuable lessons such as to
expect the unexpected. The fire ground is very dynamic and so is this class.
Week 2 - Fire Behavior, Turnout Gear and Introduction
to SCBA
What is Fire? The class opened with a clip from
Backdraft, a movie where Robert DeNiro describes fire as a living creature
in his role as an arson investigator. The second class was very intensive.
Students were introduced to basic fire behavior and the chemistry of
combustion. After the lecture, instructors conducted various "laboratory
experiments" to demonstrate the principles taught. No one was injured
however, the instructor's wife was a little upset when she learned her
husband was using her good Pyrex bowls, baking dish and tongs as classroom
props.
Following fire behavior, instructor demonstrated fire
protective clothing and its limitations. Samples of clothing, older fire
gear and new gear were subjected to heat and the results evaluated. The
lesson - fire gear is not fire proof, it only buys time for the rescuers.
Self contained breathing apparatus, the air supply fire fighters wear in
structure fires were also demonstrated. Students will be practicing SCBA
drills in the future to prepare for live fire training.
Week 3 - Engine Company Operations
Students were introduced to the most common fire
apparatus, the engine company. Along with a review of the tools and
equipment carried on the engine, the students were introduced to very basic
fire attack strategies. Following the classroom portion, students got a
little dirty by learning how to deploy and advance various hose lines. The
class ended with the students repacking the hose on the trucks.
The next day, one of the instructors saw a CFA student
at her regular job. She stated that she was a little bit sore from the
"workout" of handling the hose lines. Even so, she stated that she was
looking forward to next weeks class.
Week 4 - Ladder Company Operations!
This class introduced the student to the ladder
company. After a review of tools and procedures, the class broke into its
company assignments and rotated through various evolutions. Company 1
practiced utilizing self contained breathing apparatus which they will be
using during the live fire training. Company 2 "got dirty" and reviewed the
equipment on the ladder truck. After the tour, students put on their safety
belts and were allowed to climb the main aerial ladder to the roof of the
training tower. Company 3 practiced extinguishing flammable liquid fires
with portable fire extinguishers. Each company rotated through all stations.
Week 5 -
Vehicle Rescue
Why do so many trucks go to a car accident? Ask a
student from this class and you will know the answer.
Reviewing the equipment carried on the rescue truck as
well as basic functions were this weeks topics. After an initial classroom
session, the students had the opportunity to practice vehicle
extrication (removing the vehicle from
around a trapped victim). Even though it rained, students learned that fire
fighters don't have the luxury of picking a sunny day for fires and rescues.
Fire fighters also demonstrated how to properly stabilize a victim of a car
accident with a collar and long board. (Did we forget to undo the straps on
Chris?????)
Week 6- Emergency Medical Services
This week introduced the students into the world of
emergency medicine. Discussions were held about common medical emergencies.
Additionally, everyone was familiarized with standard medical equipment
carried by the Fire Department including defibrillators. As an added bonus,
students learned how to take a pulse and blood pressure.
Week 7- CPR
Students participated in the American Heart
Associations Heartsaver course. This course taught the essential skills and
knowledge to perform 1 rescuer CPR on an adult patient as well as the
Heimlich maneuver. Additionally, students observed a demonstration of how to
use a semi-automatic defibrillator. works.
Week 8 - Hazardous Materials and Technical Rescue
Three hours is just not enough for this topic. Class
ran a little late due to the amount of material. The classroom session
covered an introduction to hazardous materials in the community and how the
fire department responds. Similar to the hazmat awareness classes taught to
police departments, the students practiced looking up chemicals in the
Emergency Response Guidebook and applying the information found to simulated
emergencies in the town. Also covered were ice rescue and confined space
rescue.
Companies next assembled on the drill grounds and were
given the opportunity to try on level "A" chemical protective clothing, cold
water rescue suits and enter a confined space simulator while utilizing SCBA,
and a tag line. Rescue 1 -D platoon personnel were on hand and assisted with
ventilation, tag lines and operations. Overall, a good opportunity to see
some of the other non fire emergencies that the fire department responds to.
Week 9 - Car Fires
Full protective clothing including self contained
breathing apparatus were the uniform of the day for this class. After a
short classroom briefing, students observed a real time demonstration of
extinguishing a car fire by course instructors. Following a review of safety
procedures, the students, assigned as companies, each participated in a fire
attack. In total, the class burned a total of 6 vehicles. This class tied
together much of the knowledge that has been presented over the previous 8
weeks and allowed students to become more comfortable with the protective
clothing they will be wearing during the live burn in week 11.
News channel 12 was present to again document the
progress of the students in a future special report
Week 10 - Administration
This class will allow the students to meet
administrative personnel and discuss department operations with the
knowledge gained in the previous weeks. Note: This class was cancelled due
to a scheduling conflict.
Week 11 - Live Fire
Training
The pinnacle of the CFA. This class allowed the
students to apply all of the lessons they have learned in previous weeks.
The class started with a review of SCBA and safety procedures. Following the
review, a pre-fire briefing described the command structure, building
layout, operations and introduced the instructors for the class.
Students donned their gear and prepared for battle.
Over the next 3 hours (class started early) students entered the burning
building with protective hoselines and learned how to search buildings. A
thermal imaging camera with a transmitter was utilized and allowed students
outside to see what the crews were doing inside. All 11 students
participated and there were no injuries. Overall, a very successful night.
This is the last class of the CFA for the Class of
2002. Graduation ceremonies will be held on June 18, 2002. The instructors
and officers of the Fairfield Fire Department wish to commend all of the
participants in the first Civilian Fire Academy.
This program is designed for non-fire trained citizens and
will explain the basic structure and operations of your Fire Department.
Additionally, we will cover:
