Fire drills hone firefighter skills

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

Rushing into a burning building is not something the average person would consider, but the volunteer fire crews in Wheatland County have to consider that it may be asked of them at any time.
To prepare crews for fire situations, the Town of Strathmore opened their fire training facility in September to West Wheatland, Carseland, Cluny, Gleichen, the Town of Strathmore and Rocky View firefighters.
“Training is critical to the success of what we do and maintaining our skill level. We continually have to – in fire terms – sharpen our axe, making sure our skill set is up to date and current; so training and training courses are critical to saving lives,” said Judy Unsworth, Wheatland County fire and emergency management coordinator. “The fire training is constantly evolving, so the more we train, the better we become as a group and the better our skills set becomes.”
The simulated exercises used fake smoke to parallel conditions the crews may encounter. Many of the 14 firefighters participating in the exercises were new recruits.
The drills are part of the National Fire Protection Association 1001 basic firefighter requirements. The F 300 basic fire ground operations is one of the first courses the firefighters take in their careers. Two F 1000B portable fire extinguisher courses were previously hosted by the Gleichen Fire Department. They identified a need within their department and opened the session up to other fire department members in the county.
Wheatland County emergency services receive a grant from the province of Alberta through the Fire Services and Emergency Preparedness program. The county matches the funding and the money is made available to the various fire departments in the county to conduct training.
More training opportunities are being scheduled in October. The Hussar Rural Fire Association is hosting the F 700 structural firefighting course and has also opened it to other Wheatland fire departments participation. It will be held at the City of Red Deer fire training centre in October. These sessions involve live fire situations, in which participants will face extreme heat and stressful situations.
Unsworth said the fire departments are always looking for capable recruits. Those interested in volunteering their time can talk to a member of their local fire team, who will direct them as to how they may apply.