By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Fire departments in Adams County and Portland’s Local 5356 Firefighters Union hosted a Fire Ops 101 on June 27-28.
After a meet-and-greet at the Monroe station on Friday, the scene shifted to Portland where participants got a first-hand look – up close and personal, as the saying goes – as what it’s like to be a firefighter.
Abby Wilder, a member of Decatur City Council, and Jamie Gephart, Decatur’s community coordinator, participated in the program, held for the first time in this area. Geneva town officials Tina Booth and Len Burry, along with Thunderbird Products employee John Workinger also were part of the group.
The program was paid for through a grant from the Adams Health Network.
Wilder, who says she was invited by Decatur Fire Chief Jeff Sheets, to be a participant, was fitted with protective gear, including boots, pants, jacket, gloves, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), helmet and oxygen tank.
Following is Wilder’s first-hand account of the experience:
Fire OPS 101 is a day-long program with hands-on firefighting and rescue operations under controlled supervision. The workshop demonstrated aspects of fire and EMS operations, from suiting up in protective gear to putting out fires. There were 4 scenarios available to participate in:
- Perform CPR in a moving ambulance
- Perform an auto extraction
- Experience a search and rescue
- Experience a live fire
In scenario 1, we performed CPR to a mannequin in a moving ambulance. There were four individuals in the back of the ambulance along with the patient, one providing instructions, one keeping track of compressions and pulse, one bagging the patient – eleven breaths per five seconds – one performing compressions for two minutes, and then we all rotated.
Performing CPR in a controlled training class is challenging enough to remember all the steps, now add to this movement of a vehicle! Turns and bumps and stops all while keeping yourself balanced and the victim alive!
There was a lot of focus needed to count and check for pulse. There was a lot of stamina needed to do compressions for two minutes! It was an excellent example of what is going on in the back of a bus to advance the chances of the patient. And a good reminder to stop and get out of the way if you are on the road with an ambulance – they have a lot going on!!
Our instructor, EMT Quin, also showed us a new device available to help responders perform CPR. The LUCAS™ Chest Compression System is a device that assists with CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). It’s a mechanical device that delivers consistent and high-quality chest compressions to patients in cardiac arrest.
A LUCAS is $16,000-$22,000 each and Adams County has three.
In scenario 2, we performed an auto extraction in a simulated car crash. I broke side windows as well as cut out the windshield with a saw. I also removed a door with the Jaws of Life. The jaws are heavy. The protective gear is heavy. This exercise was the most strenuous.
There are so many factors a firefighter has to consider and be ready for when responding to an auto accident. They have to disable any air bags that haven’t deployed, they have to troubleshoot on how to get as quickly and efficiently as possible to the person in the vehicle, and they have to be mindful that the wheels or steering wheel may be made with magnesium and could explode once heated and cooled with water!
In scenario 3, we participated in a simulated search and rescue. The training building was outfitted with stairs, floors that ‘gave way’ under your weight, dark, small passages, wires hanging from the ceiling to keep from getting tangled in, and rafters to crawl over. Most of the time I was in complete darkness with no idea of what was in front of me.
This exercise forced me to rely on other senses other than sight, insisted I be present and map out in my head the layout of the building. I also had to remember and relay my turns and obstacles to participants behind me so they knew what to expect. All five senses were firing in this exercise!
In one scenario, my only way out was through a 16-inch opening through two studs in a wall!
Finally, in scenario 4, I suited up completely. In the final exercise we were outfitted in protective gear head to toe as we were entering a building with a live fire inside. This scenario made me the most nervous. The weight of the protective gear, the weight of the oxygen tank, the SCBA mask and flow of oxygen to breath, the limited mobility of the gloves and suit, the limited ability to see while crawling into the building.
And the heat. The suit is hot to wear; this is absolutely true. But then add the heat from the fire. I am not sure I know enough descriptive words to convey the feeling I had being that close to a live fire in all of the protective gear. I focused on my breath. It was the ONLY thing I could control.
As the heat grew hotter and hotter, the temperature reached 500 degrees. The goal was to go to 800 degrees. I felt claustrophobic, I felt anxious, I felt oddly calm.
The firefighters in the building with me – Fire Chief Jeff Sheets, Fire Marshal Tony Lothridge, and firefighter Alex Burkhart – explained what was going on and what we could expect in a million different scenarios. Did I hear anything they said? No. Did I only see the fire in front of me and hear my breath? Yes.
At 500 degrees, I was at my maximum capacity and one more minute in the box would have pushed me past experience overload. I called it, Tony put out the fire, and we vacated the box! Outside, I was running on 100% pure adrenaline. I needed out of the gear. I needed to see my family who were there cheering and supporting me. I needed to thank God for all firefighters, first responders, dispatchers, trainers, training facilities, EVERY one involved in the day in the life I just experienced.
The day was incredible. I couldn’t believe all the things I got to experience and learn. The day started at 7:30 a.m. and ended at noon. For the rest of the day, that adrenaline stayed with me. I only started to come down from it at 7 p.m.
I now have a much clearer understanding of the roles. I will definitely do this again next year. I definitely recommend all city officials to experience Fire OPS 101.
Facts I learned that I didn’t know before:
- Our DFD’s ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating is a class 4XY (which means we are almost a 3 on a scale of 1-10 where 1 is the best). In Indiana, there are eight departments rated 1.
- Firefighter Cancer is a thing. The protective gear worn contains PFAFS, known cancer causing chemicals, that will off gas when in use and then are absorbed into the body.
- Building contractors will use engineered I-Joists in construction. Whereas these joists could be cheaper and are stronger, they burn up quick in a fire. This presents a safety hazard to firefighters entering a structure as the ceiling will collapse sooner.
- Modern day solar panels are made to look more and more like regular shingles. The panels produce electricity. Couple that with water and now the firefighter has the hazard of electric shock and death if contact is made.
- Autos with parts made with magnesium; when heated by a fire and then put out with water, the parts will explode.
- Ingesting fentanyl can happen by simply touching one ‘grain’ of fentanyl when responding to a drug overdose. First responders have to carry narcan for the patient as well as themselves should they come into contact with the drug.
- Gear has a lifespan. The head to toe protective gear a firefighter wears costs on average $13,000. Other safety and rescue gear, even if not used in its allotted lifespan, must be taken out of service to ensure safety precautions for the users and people being rescued.
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