Dressed in full firefighting gear, dispatchers from the Grand Junction Regional Dispatch Center dragged heavy fire hoses through 80-degree heat to get a taste of the firefighting experience and help the Fire Departmentâs newest recruits learn how to communicate with the public.
Dispatcher Annika Raaum threw the heavy hose over her shoulder and dug in, struggling more with each extra foot of hose she dragged. When she made it out to the âfireâ â a couple of painted plywood flames â she took control of the hose and opened it up.
âItâs heavy,â Raaum said. âIt really shows what all these guys do just to be able to help out and put out fires, and all the effort that they put into their own careers as well.â
Only, there was no fire to fight.
The Grand Junction Fire Department was staging a wildfire evacuation drill. Firefighters acted as if a fire had sparked near Scenic Elementary School, 451 West Scenic Drive, to refine their response times and actions. Along with the Fire Department, the Grand Junction Police Department, National Park Service, Mesa County Sheriffâs Office and School District 51 were there as well. Afterwards, they invited the community to an education event on fire safety.
âWeâve had exercises like this where itâs been a plane crash at the airport, an active shooter situation at a school or the mall. We think about the possibilities of large scale incidents that could visit our communities,â said Heidi Davidson, spokesperson for the Grand Junction Police Department. âWe work together as communicators to figure out how to react to this event. Essentially, this is our opportunity to fail.â