BETHEL – Firetrucks, ambulances and firefighters from the Bethel, Newry, Gilead and Andover fire departments recently gathered at the Big Adventure Center for a search and rescue training session.
Randy Grondin, the Gilead Fire Department safety officer, organized the event to provide refresher training in the use of traditional and high-tech firefighting equipment.
Big Adventure owner Bill Dutton donated the labyrinthine, 7,400-square-foot laser tag facility to the local fire departments, which regularly coordinate resources and training with other local all-volunteer departments through the Northern Oxford County Mutual Aid program.
Dutton spent several hours before the event charging the building with a dense, smoky fog to realistically simulate conditions of a structure fire.
When firefighters entered the building, thick smoke blocked all vision beyond a foot in front of their faces. Due to hundreds of toxic compounds released in fires, smoke inhalation causes the majority of fire-related deaths, fire officials said.
“If you can’t see more than a foot in front of you in a fire, you have to get down on your hands and knees,” Grondin said. Even with the protective gear and high-tech equipment, firefighters must educate themselves regularly in their use.
To do this, the Northern Oxford County Mutual Aid program firefighters practiced dragging a dry hose through the smoke-filled structure, wearing self-contained breathing apparatus face masks and tanks in addition to their fire-retardant and reflective clothing.
Heat that builds up underneath the protective gear provides an extra physical burden to the firefighter, making it difficult for them to see and move. Often a firefighter will succumb to the strain.
For this reason, each firefighter is equipped with a safety alarm system on the front of each jacket, Grondin said.
If a firefighter stops moving for 30 seconds, an alarm sounds. If after 15 more seconds there is no movement, the alarm gets louder. After one full minute, a full-blown alert blasts, signaling that a firefighter is down.
Periodically during the recent training, firefighters emerged from the building red-faced and sweaty, tore off masks and hats, their hot breath billowing white into the cool night air. They retrieved several dummies. In addition, the firefighters had to monitor their own air supplies, which would last on average of 20 minutes.
Through the Northern Oxford County Mutual Aid program, area fire departments cooperate in the purchase of a truck, housed at Greenwood, that carries air-filtering equipment to recharge the air tanks, said Gilead Fire Chief Ken Cole.
He demonstrated a hand-held digital laser heat sensor that records the temperature of anything the red laser is placed on. In addition, firefighters practiced using a thermal imaging sensor that projects an image onto a viewing screen, allowing personnel outside to locate people in the building.
“We have a firefighter down!” Grondin called over the sound of a wailing alarm. Minutes later, a man was pulled from the building. “Let’s go! Right to the rig!” he shouted, as four firefighters carried the rescued firefighter to one of the waiting ambulances.
“This is going pretty well, with only three weeks to prepare,” Grondin said of the training session.
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