Politics & Government
Fire Ops 101: Crawl into Burning Building, Smash Car Windows
Alameda County firefighters showed community members, elected leaders and members of the media what it takes to save lives in emergency situations.
Many people run away from a burning building.
It’s a completely different story for firefighters, who risk their lives to save others.
Community members, elected leaders, Patch local editors and other media representatives experienced what it was like to walk in firefighters’ boots during a Fire Ops 101 orientation session Saturday at the Alameda County Fire Training Facility in San Leandro.
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Alameda County Fire Fighters Association (ACFFA) IAFF Local 55 and the Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD) organized the event.
Alameda County Fire Chief Sheldon Gilbert said no overtime was used on Saturday’s event because all firefighters and staff members volunteered their time.
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“I hope that everyone who participated has a better understanding of the job the men and women of the Alameda County Fire Department do on a daily basis,” Gilbert said. “I think people understand what we do in general terms. Having it in context of actually walking in the shoes of these men and women for a day, I think brings a new degree of reality. Now they can go out into the community and help residents understand the job of a firefighter.”
After Fire Ops participants traded in street wear for firefighter turn-outs, jackets and helmets, they headed out into the rain for five hands-on training sessions:
- Live Fire: Crawling into a burning building and conducting a fire attack with a hose line.
- Search and Rescue: Crawling into a smoky building and locating a victim in the dark.
- Ventilation: Climbing on top of a wooden platform and using axes and chainsaws to cut ventilation holes.
- Auto Extrication: Responding and rescuing victims of vehicle collisions.
- EMS Scenario: Locating and transporting victims and CPR Simulation.
Captain Anthony Hansen from Station 31 in Union City said Saturday’s rain added another element of reality to the fire training sessions.
“With the wet weather today, there were some challenges,” Hansen said. “We do our job if it’s 100 degrees outside or if it’s pouring down rain. It doesn’t matter.”
For more information, check out the Alameda County Fire Department website.
Check out more photos from Fire Ops 101 on our Facebook page.
