Recently Brentwood Fire and
Rescue’s B Shift took advantage of the beautiful weather Middle Tennessee has
been experiencing to conduct some training outdoors. Firefighting takes a
mixture of strength and skill, and B Shift’s drill tested both of those abilities.
The shift was broken down into teams based on their apparatus before rules and
limited instructions were given. Crews would have to call on past experience
and training to determine the best way to complete a given stage of the course.
Once the start command was given, each stage was completed without stopping
between them.
At different points in the
evolution crew members were asked questions that tested either their fire or
medical knowledge. Failure to correctly answer a question would result in
repeating that physical evolution. This forces firefighters to stay focused and
think calmly while exerting near maximum effort. At the halfway point each crew
was tasked with completing a children’s jigsaw puzzle. While this would be a
snap under normal circumstances, the pressure of a stopwatch coupled with
physical exertion and competition amongst your peers ratcheted up the pressure
on the participants. All evolutions were completed in partial turnout gear
while breathing from SCBA, as crew members were all on duty and subject to
emergency response; some energy reserves needed to be retained.
To start things off, Crews were tasked with moving a tractor tire a set
distance. Some teams used tools to assist them while others used brute
strength. If you look closely, you can see four distinctly different methods of
moving the tire; rolling it was not allowed.
Brentwood Firefighters respond to medical calls within the city, so
carrying the gear and knowing what to do with it once you reach the patient
seemed like a natural evolution to include.
Grab your ladder and prepare to raise…
Up and down, 10 times, from the ground to overhead and back down again.
Fire suppression foam comes in a variety of types and uses, and after
lugging it across the field firefighters were quizzed on many of them.
The pullup bar does not care if your arms are tired from carrying
equipment…
Firefighting is, afterall, a team sport. Accomplish your given task by
whatever means necessary.
Should something happen to one of your fellow firefighters, it is up to
you to get them to safety, regardless of how tired you are.
There are many different ways to accomplish the task, it is just a
matter of finding the one that works best based on what tools you have
available.
Firefighting isn’t all fun and
games, but it never hurts to make training fun. If you see firefighters out
training, feel free to say hello and spectate. Enjoy the nice weather while we
have it!
