ERT FireFighting
August 10th, 2009
During firefighting week of ERT, Responders take classes and participate in practicals that expose them to the basics of firefighting and prepare them for future service.
Men gain hands-on experience using fire extinguishers.
Gaining confidence using self-contained breathing apparatus, men travel through an obstacle course. This course simulates many fireground activities, including carrying hoses, heavy fans, climbing ladders, ventilating roofs, moving heavy objects and traveling through constricted areas.
Ladder exercises include victim removals by firefighting students.
Using different size diameter hoses and types of nozzles, men work with various handlines. Students must learn to control the nozzle reaction and how to maneuver with them as a team.
Master stream devices allow hundreds of gallons to be discharged per minute over long distances.
Vertical ventilation through a roof structure is practiced by ALERT men using power saws and hand tools.
Performing search and rescue inside a fogged building provides valuable experience for the low visibility situations they will encounter inside a structure fire. Victims must be located and removed from the building successfully to complete this exercise.
As part of a final scenario, ALERT men are faced with a live vehicle fire that they must extinguish.
Working together to apply the skills learned throughout the week, fire companies quickly knockdown and work to overhaul the involved vehicle.
ERT Sawyer Class
August 4th, 2009
In order to ready ALERT responders for future disaster relief, their second week in ERT is Sawyer class.
Under the instruction of Sgt. Jonathan Archibald, the men learned skills in chainsaw operation, maintenance, and safety.
Classroom sessions were accompanied by time spent in the field, putting the concepts to practice and refining technique.
Given the shifting weight and complicated dynamics often present with storm blown trees, a major area of practice is learning to read and work around the areas of tension and compression that can easily bind up chainsaws.
Use of safety equipment including chaps, helmet, eye and ear protection was stressed so that maximum safety can be maintained in potentially hazardous environments.
Once the groundwork has been practiced, men progress to felling standing trees. Learning to drop a standing tree in an accurate and controlled manner allows them to be confident in more complex disaster areas.
Battalion Olympics (Monday)
April 16th, 2008
