May 13--The body lay motionless, lodged inside a 5-foot dust collection unit at MasterBrand Cabinets.
A Kinston firefighter -- lowered into the funnel-shaped compartment from a catwalk 25 feet in the air -- strapped a harness onto the distressed worker.
A company of firemen raised the employee from the bin to resuscitate him. But the victim did not move. He may have -- if he was real.
The injured body was a 165-pound mannequin named "Rescue Randy" and the 20-minute exercise conducted twice last week at the cupboard manufacturer's Collier-Loftin Road facility was a drill.
City Public Safety officials say the training is one of many specialized "technical rescue" exercises that are central to preparing a new generation of firefighters to one day lead the department's Fire and Rescue Division.
Today's leaders -- eight captains and three commanders -- entered into the department during an era in the 1980s and 1990s when great discipline and aggressive and orderly firefighting lifted the agency to an insurance rating of 3, two classes from the International Organization for Standardization's top score.
While the highly-coveted Class 1 rating is not completely out of reach -- only a handful of major cities in the U.S., such as Los Angeles and Phoenix, have made it to the top -- it is a feat that comes with time, experience, practice and a passionate group of rookie recruits, said Capt. Bo Hobbs, head of training and safety at the division.
"There is a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience that in a few years will be gone," said Hobbs, who, before he ends his 30-year career with the division in 2023, longs to see the words "Class 1 Fire Department" advertised along the side of its stations and trucks.
"We have to fill that void."
Keeping it real
The commercial aircraft burned with intensity on April 19 at the Kinston JetPort after an engine problem sparked a combustion that trapped four victims inside the plane.
Kinston firefighters, along with airport personnel and Lenoir County volunteer firefighters, swarmed the jetliner dressed in canvas suits, strapped with air packs and breathing masks and armed with ropes, ladders and hoses to battle the real-life blaze to save Randy and four of his friends.
"We cannot duplicate it exactly, but we try to maintain a certain level of intensity as if it were a live situation," said Capt. Thomas Gay, a 21-year veteran with the Fire and Rescue Division who started at the bottom and worked his way through the ranks to his current position as a shift leader.
Gay said the division's engine companies constantly work to hone their skills. When the alarm sounds at the each of the city's three stations, firefighters must awaken from a dead sleep and be on the truck and out of the bay in 60 seconds to arrive at the emergency site in no more than four minutes.
"From the time you're in bed to the time you are in an unknown environment, it's five minutes," Gay said. "You have to rely on your training and your equipment because most fires are zero visibility."
Kinston's firefighters have 240 hours of training -- or 20 hours a month -- at their disposal each year to prepare for a fire in the city of 22,000 residents, 17 square miles of land and three high-rise structures.
That training includes: confined space certification, 64 hours a year; fire truck driving, 52 hours total among new and licensed operators; shift management, 12 hours; hazardous material cleanup, eight hours; fire inspection procedure, six hours; radio communication and medical skills, three hours each.
Some exercises involve numerous companies and last several hours, such as when firefighters rappel the old power plant on Manning Street to retrieve Rescue Randy, or navigate through a pitch-black Vernon Park Mall to establish portable lighting, advance hose lines and connect sprinkler heads in complete darkness.
The above list doesn't even include the three hours of routine training engine companies do at their trucks each day to become comfortable with charging water lines and unfolding ladders.
"Repetition is what makes it second nature," Gay said. "You have to know your equipment very intimately, to the point it is almost a part of your body."
All in
T.J. Howard knows hydrants, hose lines and spray nozzles as if he were the Inspector Gadget of fires.
Howard is one of three men who joined the division April 16 after going through a two-week training seminar taught by Hobbs and other leaders with the use of both hands-on training and informational pamphlets and videos.
While Howard, who first joined the field as a member of the Southwood Volunteer Fire Department in 2003 upon graduating from South Lenoir High School, has yet to battle a major blaze, his captains and commanders have already begun to "mold him into a quality firefighter," Hobbs said.
"I picked up on it pretty quickly," a confident Howard said of charging a fire hydrant, one of the most fundamental skills a firefighter must possess.
When first arriving at a fire, riders advance two lines off the truck, which has 500 gallons of water, to hook to a hydrant for a driver to make a "changeover."
"When you learn to gain confidence in yourself, the people you are with and your equipment, it makes you feel at ease in doing your job," said Hobbs. "You're not as hesitant to make decisions. You know precisely what to do, when to do it and how to react."
But training and text books do not cover one thing -- the "unknowns" -- which is where the "Plus Delta," a pro-con chart listing all the division's successes against its imperfections, comes in handy to remedy any recurring problems.
"The guys really help you learn," said Howard, who, despite being groomed since a young child by his father, Tommy Howard, to be a firefighter, admits he still has a lot to absorb.
"Everyday there's a new topic that you're covering," he continued. "You're constantly learning, and your shift is constantly moving. There's always something to be changed, because a lot of times you do not get a second chance."
From simple deficiencies, such as a dispatcher not providing a correct address, to major flaws, like a kink in the water supply, everyone on down the chain of command has to rely on one another to speak up when they are uncomfortable, Hobbs said.
"You can learn from the newest employee," Gay said.
'Everyone goes home'
Beyond the Class 1 rating, the hours of training and the charts and diagrams, comes a benchmark far greater than lower property insurance rates.
"Everyone goes home," Hobbs said. "From the time the tone activates, to the time the truck gets back in the station, we have to make sure we do everything in a manner that we go home safe to our families."
Given the theme of the motto, possibly one of the most important drills is one by the name of "Rapid Intervention Crew Training," an exercise, where firefighters are taught how to save one of their own.
The exercise possibly saved a life on Nov. 2 when three firefighters battling a factory fire at the old Kinston Fibers plant on Neuse Road had to be rescued after inhaling too much smoke.
James Lancaster, 23, who joined the force the same day as Howard, takes the slogan to heart, after the person who introduced him to the chase nine years ago tragically died during the summer of 2006.
"He was mentally strong," Lancaster said of Ashton Rhodes, his inspiration in becoming a captain with the Hugo Volunteer Fire Department and a fireman with the city by profession.
"He was a person who was really good with helping people in many different situations," Lancaster added. "He always thought outside the box and he always stayed one step ahead no matter the circumstances."
When asked if he had acquired the skills needed to complement the calmness he took from Rhodes, Lancaster unclipped his helmet, dropped to one knee and looked up at the heavens.
"A fireman's training is never done," he said.
By the numbers
The International Organization for Standardization routinely inspects fire departments in North Carolina to confirm each station has proper staffing, sufficient equipment and ample water supply to battle blazes and perform rescue operations.
The results of the review -- graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best -- factor into how property insurance rates are set. The Kinston Department of Public Safety's Fire and Rescue Division in its last inspection in 2006 scored a 3.
A shortage of state inspectors has put the review off indefinitely.
The breakdown of the assessment -- a week-long review conducted without notice -- is as follows:
50 percent: Engine companies
Half of the overall grading is based on the number of engine companies a department has distributed throughout its coverage area, how well it has handled emergencies, the level of training it has provided its personnel and how regularly fire equipment is tested and upgraded.
40 percent: Water supply
All components of the water supply system, including pumps, storage and filtration, are inspected to determine whether a community has a sufficient supply beyond its daily maximum consumption.
Fire-flow tests are performed on water mains. Hydrant distribution is evaluated.
10 percent: Fire alarms
Inspectors evaluate the local communications center -- looking at the number of operators on staff; the condition and number of incoming receiver lines; and the listing of emergency numbers in the phone book -- to see how well a department receives fire alarms and dispatches its resources.
Source: N.C. Department of Insurance
Wesley Brown can be reached at 252-559-1075 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KinstonCrimeSpy.
Copyright 2012 - The Free Press, Kinston, N.C.
