The Knoxville Fire Department partnered with the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau last weekend to host a free training weekend for 128 firefighters from 41 departments across the Midwest at the soon to be demolished VA campus.
Firefighters practiced forcible entry techniques, with over 500 repetitions completed. They cut approximately 300 holes in various roof types to practice vertical ventilation, increasing survivability of potentially trapped victims. They also performed search and rescue skills. Chief Cal Wyman tells KNIA/KRLS News it was invaluable for these firefighters to have the ability to search a variety of different sized rooms with varying layouts and configurations, advancing their speed and agility to victims more quickly.
The Knoxville Fire Department partnered with the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau last weekend to host a free training weekend for 128 firefighters from 41 departments across the Midwest at the soon to be demolished VA campus.
Firefighters practiced forcible entry techniques, with over 500 repetitions completed. They cut approximately 300 holes in various roof types to practice vertical ventilation, increasing survivability of potentially trapped victims. They also performed search and rescue skills. Chief Cal Wyman tells KNIA/KRLS News it was invaluable for these firefighters to have the ability to search a variety of different sized rooms with varying layouts and configurations, advancing their speed and agility to victims more quickly.
Mason City firefighters sharpening search and rescue skills
Using a simulation trailer, firefighters are fine-tuning their search and rescue skills by rescuing a trapped victim while battling smoky conditions
Posted: Feb 24, 2021 9:11 PM
Posted By: Alex Jirgens
MASON CITY, Iowa - Fire crews risk their lives to save yours. Now, some new training could help mason city firefighters sharpen their skills when it comes to rescuing someone trapped in a burning building.
This week, firefighters are utililizing a simulation trailer provided by the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau for search and rescue drills. The course inside the trailer can be modified like a maze, complete with ramps and stairs, and the levels of simulated smoke can be adjusted. Using a self-contained breathing apparatus, thermal imagine camera and other equipment, firefighters are tasked with finding a trapped victim while crawling through the maze in smoky conditions, with a rope and hose attached.