Tuesday August 10, 2021
*Drill Night*
Weekly drills for the month of August have companies rotating through three topics.
Company 1 worked with a tool we carry called a GripHoist. The GripHoist is essentially a technical come-along winch at base level, but has more finesse and features. It’s a great tool to move several-thousand-pound objects in a controlled fashion, like a vehicle that has pinned a patient.
Company 2 trained on metal cutting and truck/roof operations. For us, saw work could be considered a low-frequency event, as our only times using a saw (chainsaw or K12) would typically be ventilating a structure fire, gaining access at a similar emergency, or in a rescue scenario. Nevertheless, we need to keep these skills strong, and the Flash Fire Industries mobile training trailer with the crew from Connecticut Custom Fire Training LLC. gives us the opportunity to do just that.
Company 3 took to a static water source to cover another low-frequency event for us; drafting. Drafting is using our fire engines to pull water from a static water source like a pond or a portable water tank. This would be necessary at a fire in a non-hydranted area or to supplement a weak hydrant. Most of South Windsor is well-hydranted so we typically don’t need to consider drafting, however, there are still some areas where it may be required.
Each company will rotate over the next two weeks to cover each topic.
Drill Night – Tuesday August 24, 2021
Some photos from tonight’s metal cutting and roof operations drill for Company 1. Thanks again to Connecticut Custom Fire Training LLC. and Flash Fire Industries.
Photo Credit: SWFD Photographer Dennis Brunelle