Members lit one scrap vehicle on fire and extinguished it using water and foam. They also practiced using the Jaws of Life equipment on a van.
Captain Todd Strickland said the department tries to use the extraction equipment twice a year to stay fresh. Last week's training mostly involved younger members who were not familiar with the equipment.
Jenny Feltham, a volunteer firefighter from Thompson, Man. who was in town visiting and invited to take part.
Members fist extinguished the vehicle fire with water, and made sure it was completely smothered with foam.
The foam is a protein-based mixture that connects to the main water line. A special nozzle expands the foam and water mixture. Capt. Strickland said the protein-based foam, which is made from animal offal, is cheaper than chemical foam they would use in a real emergency.
"It doesn't smell very nice but it does the job," he said.
The firefighters often train with scenarios. In this case, the department had a wrecked van with two adults dead in the front seat, and two children awaiting rescue in the back.
Capt. Strickland said they had local contractors crush the van to make it more realistic.
The department does not currently have rescue dummies, but members are looking into getting some made. There are commercial rescue mannequins available on the market, but they are very expensive according to Capt. Strickland.
The Jaws of Life are like hydraulic powered scissors. Capt. Strickland said the department has a main gas engine for the unit, as well as a backup engine and a manual hand pump in case both gas engines fail.
Members also used a standard reciprocating saw in the exercise. The saw is surprisingly efficient, said Capt. Strickland.
"It's a very valuable tool," he said. "Even in training we ran into a bit of a problem with the Jaws of Life, so we used the reciprocating saw as a backup."
He said members found blades for the saw specifically labeled as fire rescue blades at a local hardware store.
"They're a bit expensive but they really cut through the material and metal," said Capt. Strickland.
Beyond extinguishing the fire and cutting open the vehicle, Members tested "air bags" which are made of Kevlar. They can lift a vehicle nine to 11 inches depending on the bag used. Capt. Strickland said the bags are not easy to puncture.
The bags can be inserted and inflated under a vehicle to help extract people pinned by a car wreck.
Capt. Strickland said safety is of the utmost importance for members, either in training or a real-life situation. One member is constantly walking around the vehicle in a rescue situation, watching for dangers other might not see.
"Ultimately, our safety has to be number one because it's no good to be on the scene and have one of our guys injured," he said.
reporter@gulfnews.ca
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