Search and Rescue Drill

Last Tuesday was the Training Meeting at BVFD. We discussed how to go about search and rescue. Things like, if you start a right hand search, you stay in a right hand search and you always come out the way you went in. The front of a building is side A, the left is side B, the rear is side C and the right is side D, ya know clockwise. You always report your position via radio to the command center. If a firefighter goes down, that becomes priority 1.

Then the fun began! They lined face masks with foil and put them on us, paired us up and made us get on our hands and knees and crawl around the floor of the garage keeping in contact with the wall or your partner at all times while sweeping for victims [represented by life jackets]. Then we got to crawl on our bellies under the trucks [to simulate debris or obstacles]. Sounds fun, doesn't it? It would have been more fun if I hadn't been in shorts and flip-flops.

After we finished that we pulled out our SCBA [self contained breathing apparatus] and learned how to use them. We learned about the motion detector, if we don't move for a determined length of time an alarm goes off increasing in volume. If you move it stops. If you are injured and need assistance there is a red emergency button to push and the alarm goes off like crazy! We learned how to shut that off my pressing the yellow button twice. Next, we removed the foil from our face masks and attached to the SCBA and tried it out. Mine wouldn't work and I almost panicked and I pulled my mask off my face. I guess my partner had turned it off. We also learned how to bleed air out to keep us cool and our mask clear but it uses up our air faster.

Our new bunker gear hasn't all come in yet but I did get my pager. Haven't figured out how it works yet. Haven't gotten any pages! I guess I will have to resort to reading the directions!

Fire Department Meeting tonight

Tonight was the 'business' meeting of the Belmont Volunteer Fire Department. We meet every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. The first meeting of the month is designated 'business' and the second is 'training.' Although we often do both at each. Some of our new bunker gear came in but not all and we don't have a list of what goes to who so I didn't get any of mine yet. I'm still amazed that they invested the money in me. I'm really awed by the job. I got to drive the big Engine 62 again this week. Last meeting I got to drive it, also. Actually, the first time they had me back the thing in the garage! Every meeting we start all the trucks and generators to make sure everything is fully charged and working properly. Engine 62 is a 10 wheel tanker truck that holds 2,000 gal. of water. Out here in the country we have to take our water with us.

I have really enjoyed meeting the guys of the department and have fun joking around and laughing with them. We had a super fish fry get-together a few months back. We are gearing up for our big fall fundraiser the BBQ and auction in September. I think I have been volunteered to be Historian and Webmaster for the department. I did have a good time taking photos of the last fire, an 18 wheeler tractor. Since I didn't have bunker gear I grabbed the disposable camera in the truck and started taking pics. Later, after the fire was out they gave me the hose to keep spraying it to cool it off for the wrecker guys.