By Tyler Wright
New recruits of the Emerald Fire Brigade had had their hand at honing their search and rescue techniques while using Breathing Apparatus (BA) sets on Wednesday night.
The Puffing Billy Playground was used by the firefighters to familiarise themselves with specialised equipment carried on-board trucks; learning how to use them in real life scenarios.
“We try to get out as much as we can [so] we can be more visible for people to ask questions and maybe sign up to join us – and it also gives members a bit more local familiarity,” Lieutenant Ryan Lewis said.
“Playgrounds are great for simulation exercises…[they have] a lot more twists and turns and tunnels that add that layer of realism to training, especially [using] breathing apparatus,” Lieutenant Lewis said.
‘Training officers placed human weighted dummies in various areas around the playground, and it was our firefighters task to find them, and safely evacuate the person/s to a “Clean” area. This can help replicate serious Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) incidents, where the air may be dangerous to breathe, or a house fire, where toxic smoke and gases present serious dangers to Firefighter health and welfare,’ an Emerald Fire Brigade post said.
Recruits begin as general firefighters training for bushfires and advance onto different increments and qualifications to use various types of equipment.
“There’s quite an emphasis on getting the theory side of things done as quickly and safely as possible, and then get [recruits] out onto jobs to pick up that real work experience,” Lewis said.
“We do other exercises where we use a big enclosed building and pump that full of smoke and simulate ventilation…but for general skills and maintenance, a playground is always a good option for us.”
May saw the introduction of Emerald Fire Brigade’s new management team, and as 2nd Lieutenant, Ryan Lewis is looking forward to seeing new recruits grow and expand their skills.
