Department Drill Night – Tuesday, November 10th, 2020 – Live Fire
Last night, collective members from all three SWFD companies trained in live fire scenarios with the help of Flash Fire Industries. Flash Fire brought their Mobile Training Trailer to town and set us up with two different classes-in-one: VES (Vent-Enter-Search) and “Can Confidence”.
VES is a tactic used to conduct a rapid, concentrated search in an area where a victim is reported or believed to be (usually a bedroom). The process involves throwing a ladder to a window, making entry into the room via the window, closing the room’s door to isolate it from fire conditions, and then removing any victims through the window where entry was made. The process can vary based on fire conditions and may involve searching past the bedroom into a hallway, or into other nearby rooms.
“Can Confidence” training involved the use of a pressured water extinguisher, or as we call it, a “can”. After the VES team reported a victim, the can team quickly made their way to the area where the victim was located. Using the can, one team could control the fire while the VES team worked on victim removal. The goal is to be able to sparingly but efficiently use the 2.5 gallons of water in the can to keep the fire at bay and conditions tenable while the rescue is made, in case a hose line is not in place yet.
Remaining SWFD members will be completing this live fire training over the next two Tuesdays, while those who already participated rotate through Cold Water Rescue and chimney fire refreshers.
