The Harden Fire and Rescue Station 389 held a training simulation drill inside a truck that emulated a fire emergency situation to brush up on the firefighters’ skills last week.
Wal Leonow explains the fire station’s troubles with these drills during COVID, “We haven’t seen it for a couple of years. Normally it comes by two or three times a year. They do change the internal layout most of the time, so we don’t know what to expect when we go in.” “It sort of travels statewide. It’s been in the local area for the last week or two. Inside the scenario this time, we’ve got a house structure. So there’s two compartments in the house.
There are simulated dummies, they use a smoke machine, smoke it out. So the visibility is very poor for the firefighters. As if it is a real situation.”
“This afternoon, we’ve done the theory side on breathing apparatus, functional checks, safety checks, what to look for. They’re sitting there suiting up as though they’re going into a real situation.” Inside the truck is a door, and beyond the door, a thick storm of smoke fills the inside so that only the firefighters know what is happening inside.
Different pairs walked into the truck throughout the night and returned carrying out a test dummy to place on the grass. Firefighter Tom commented on the drill, “You can see nothing. Absolutely nothing.
It’s a different layout each time, but it’s mostly the same sort of thing.” Currently, only two of these trucks operate in the entire New South Wales area, which is a number our emergency services first responders would no doubt like to see increased.
Jack Murray
