Fire Ops 101 – A Huge Success!

by Aleyna Lassen

       On October 30, 2010 the Avra Valley Fire District firefighters, West Valley Firefighters Union #4462, hosted a unique program for the 5 governing board members of the fire district.  It was called Fire Ops 101, and was designed by the International Association of Firefighters, to show public officials what the true feeling of being a firefighter is like. 

       The day started out with all of us sitting through a very basic, classroom course taught by our fire chief, Brain Delfs.  The class was a mandatory part of the day in order for us to be as safe as possible, by understanding the basics of fire behavior.  Even though the class only scratched the surface involving the science and understanding of fire behavior and elements that firefighters must be aware of at all times, it was still cram-packed with fascinating information and left me wishing I could learn more.  I don’t believe most people truly think about all the different scenarios a firefighter must consider before entering a burning building or rolling up to a car accident.  Chief Delfs kept using the analogy that, “Elephants Don’t Bite”.  He explained that, elephants can be very dangerous animals for all the obvious reasons, and yet people don’t think of them being scary, dangerous animals?  Statistics say that elephants cause many more injuries and deaths than some of the other animals in Africa that seem much more dangerous.  The parallel to the elephant analogy and fires is that firefighters so often see all the obvious signs of a dangerous situation and completely overlook something that ultimately causes the most damage or severe injury or death.  I can imagine that every emergency is different from another, but also that firefighters must not only respond quickly, but remain extremely diligent in every move they make to stay safe.  According to our fire chief, it isn’t usually the obvious dangers that get them.

       Along with the fire behavior portion, we had brief introductions to vehicle extrication, venting a structure that is burning, and some history on EMS (Emergency Medical Service).  The vehicle extrication was, again, a lot more scientific than one would normally believe.  The vehicles in today’s world have made the firefighters job a little more tricky, and of course, more dangerous.  Most vehicles today have not just a few air bags, but up to thirty!  Every one of those air bags in a crashed vehicle are like potential, little missiles if they haven’t already been deployed.  When the first responders are using tools such as the Jaws of Life or hydraulic cutters to rescue a person from a mangled car, they have to be very knowledgeable as to where to cut.  Every make and model of car on the road is different.  Another, relatively new hazard out there is the millions of electric cars that are on the road.  These are huge electrical hazards to firefighters if they overlook cutting the main power source before attempting to extricate a victim from a crash. 

       After the different class portions were completed and we went over the safety features of the turnout gear we would be wearing, we went outside and put our new found skills into action.  We started out by disassembling a car with a couple different hydraulic tools.  We all got the feel of how heavy the equipment is, how to break and cut glass safely, what it feels like to cut a car door off or pry a door open.  It was quite a process for sure!

       Next we learned more about the process of venting a roof when a house is on fire and how to do it as safely, and as quickly as possible.  Standing on a roof of a burning structure is rather intimidating no matter what they say!  Luckily, the structure we were standing on was a training simulator made for just these types of exercises and was not on fire.  We used axes and chains saws to accomplish this.

       Last but not least, we went into a live fire situation.  Again, this exercise required the training simulator, which is a very high-tech piece of equipment, that allows firefighters to learn and practice different evolutions that help them to be more prepared for real situations.  This trailer is mostly animated and computerized to where if the temperature gets too hot, it automatically shuts down.  This was a miraculous piece of equipment!  Each board member dressed out in full turnouts and went in with a couple firefighters to spray water on the flames and watch the steam conversion take place.  Even though the temperature inside the simulator only reached around 350 degrees, we still got the idea of what “hot” can feel like.  A real house fire can reach up to 2,000 degrees!  Firefighters shouldn’t consider going into a structure that has surpassed a temperature of about 500 degrees. 

       We, the board members, learned more than we could’ve expected that day and certainly have more appreciation for this job than we did before.  I must say, I’m very proud of the union members that helped to make Fire Ops 101 happen that day.  They all worked hard to teach us, keep us safe and did a fantastic job organizing this unique experience.  Thank you!