IN City's Leaders Get Hands-On Training

Oct. 29 -- JEFFERSONVILLE, IN -- On Saturday, a number of local leaders put on firefighting gear to battle live fires and to crawl in smoky, confined spaces for a search-and-rescue exercise.

But they weren't in emergency situations — each scenario was carefully controlled and supervised by professional firefighters.

Community leaders and members of the media were invited to experience an up-close look at firefighting in Saturday's Fire Ops 101 workshop at the Jeffersonville Fire Headquarters. Each participant practiced hands-on fire techniques in simulations of rescue operations.

The workshop was presented by the Jeffersonville Fire Department and International Association of Fire Fighters Local 558, along with volunteers from the Clarksville Fire Department and New Albany Fire Department. This was the organizations' first Fire Ops 101 event.

Participants wore protective gear and learned how to use a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) as they went through a live burn trailer and a search-and-rescue exercise in a training tower. The event also included a vehicle extrication exercise and an EMS workshop on CPR and overdoses.

Joe Hurt, Jeffersonville firefighter and president of Jeffersonville Fire Union Local 558, said they want to give local leaders a small taste of what firefighters do on a daily basis. He wants people to understand that firefighters are professionals who train hard and take the job seriously.

Many of these leaders are making funding decisions for local fire departments, so Hurt wants them to have a better understanding of what firefighters need to do their jobs.

"The idea is to let them understand that staffing is important, equipment is important and training is important," he said.

At the beginning of the workshop, each participant suited up from head to toe in firefighting gear before beginning the rotation of scenarios.

As groups entered a room in the Jeffersonville Fire Department's training tower, thick simulated smoke greeted them in a low visibility search-and-rescue exercise.

With one hand against the structure's wall to orient themselves, they used the other to search the room as they inched forward on their knees. They breathed through masks attached to air tanks and communicated with the firefighters as they made their way through the small, claustrophobic space.

Yet the room was relatively spare and uncluttered compared to many houses, and there was no real fire. JFD Fire Marshall John Obermeier said when firefighters go into an actual structure fire, it is often at zero visibility, and they will yell to make sure people know they are there. It is important to rely on senses such as touch and hearing, he said.

In another scenario, participants rushed into a dark burn trailer, moving toward the heat to find a live fire. Together, a group pulled a hose as a firefighter shouted, "move in, move in, move in." As flames blazed ahead of them, they sprayed to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading further.

A second scenario in the burn trailer included fires burning in two ends of the structure. After fighting the first fire, they fought another one, but they had to return to the first after it reignited.

"You’re moving through the dark, and you find there’s a flight of stairs," Jeffersonville City Council Vice President Dustin White said. "You get to the bottom, and then a fire hits you. You have to react to it. It’s good training."

Another scenario allowed participants to learn how to take apart vehicles as firefighters do in car wrecks when people are trapped inside. Firefighters showed them how to use tools such as a "Jaws of Life" apparatus to cut open the doors and roof of the car.

"We remove the vehicle from the patient, rather than remove the patient from the vehicle," Hurt said. "It's safer that way for the victim."

The training scenarios in Fire Ops 101 are on a much lower scale than what firefighters actually face, JFD Sgt. Justin Ames said. The training tower and burn trailer are helpful tools to help firefighters prepare for live emergencies, he said.

"In a basement fire, you actually have to go through the heat to get to the fire, which is very dangerous for us," he said. "This is a controlled environment to help us learn how to do it, so that when we face it for real, it's good practice, and it's not new to us."

A.D. Stonecipher, a member of the Clarksville Town Council, came to the event to show his support of the local fire departments. He said his experience in the search-and-rescue exercise helped him appreciate the importance of having enough personnel in a fire department.

"As I was operating in complete darkness on the ground, I think it really stressed to me the importance of having the correct manpower," he said. "That’s an ongoing challenge for us in Clarksville — finding long-term funding strategies that allow us to grow our personnel."

State Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany, said he participated in Fire Ops 101 to learn and experience some of the daily activities of firefighters. Just putting on the heavy equipment was eye-opening, he said.

"I have no illusions that we're going to experience what firefighters really experience in terms of unpredictable and dangerous situations," he said. "Everything here today is designed to be predictable and safe, but it's still a good opportunity to gain a further appreciation of what our firefighters do every day."

Clere said although the burn trailer was a completely controlled and predictable environment, it was still disorienting.

"It's hard to imagine what firefighters must experience going into a situation that is completely unpredictable, uncontrolled and unsafe," he said. "This gave us a small taste of what they must encounter."

New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan also participated in the scenarios. In the live fire exercise, it was hard to breathe and hard to see, he said.

"A lot of people probably take for granted what firefighters do, and I'm really glad that I'm here today," he said. "There's a lot of danger, and firefighters expose themselves to this danger on a daily basis ... We're lucky we've got good firefighters."

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