SYLVANIA FIRE DEPARTMENT - TRAINING

 

Walk in to any Sylvania Township Fire Station between normal business hours and you’ll observe some type of training taking place at your local station. Firefighter/EMT’s consistently train at a high level to help deliver the most reliable and efficient care to the residents of Sylvania. Training in fire service is important for a variety of reasons, with the most important being life safety. Frequently, firefighters put themselves in dangerous situations to care for victims and the training of these emergency responders ensures they will be able to respond to the next call.

In Sylvania, firefighters work 24-hour shifts and conduct much of their training around their typical station duties and emergency calls. A training calendar is distributed in advance by the Deputy Chief of Operations and outlines the type of drill and the officer responsible for coordinating the presentation of the material. The material may be presented in a combination of formats including lectures and practical training evolutions. Our department is fortunate to have a wide variety of members who have received specialized training in topics such as high-angle rescue, hazardous materials, and explosives. Often, these personnel, with extensive backgrounds in specialized subjects, conduct the training. However, training may also be done by outside resources. Physicians and other professionals often provide input into these training sessions, providing members with the most current and dependable training possible. 

New Ladder Truck Training
In the spring of 2010, Sylvania Township Firefighters focused their training on developing their driving skills and operational techniques with their new tractor-drawn aerial (TDA) ladder truck.  All personnel were also required to demonstrate the safe and proper use of the tools and equipment carried on the unit.  The broad capabilities of this vehicle make it an excellent addition to our fire department fleet.  To take advantage of those capabilities, some advanced training is being done as well as addressing the basic skils that are involved with "truck work".

All firefighters participated in hands-on practical training at the King Road Training Facility.  Simulating fireground situations, firefighters honed their skills by completing the same tasks that would be present at a fire incident.  Proper water flow, rescue skills, aerial and ground ladder use were performed by all companies.

 

 

 

"Live" Structure Fire Training
Late summer and fall had Sylvania Township Firefighters of all ranks working up a good sweat in the name of training.  The fire department had the rare opportunity to use an acquired commercial structure for "live" practical firefighting operational training.  The facility was graciously donated as a training venue by Franciscan Care Center, Sylvania.  Formerly occupied as a doctor's office, the building located on Holland-Sylvania Road is slated for demolition in early spring 2011.  The training division has developed a arigorous training curriculum in order to take full advantage of this rare opportunity to conduct live training as we see fit.

Firefighters began their training conducting basic search and rescue techniques.  In a zero visibility atmosphere, firefighters were tasked with searching out and rescuing a training mannequin.  A variety of obstacles were placed along the way to provide challenges that hone a vital task firefithers face in actual fires.

For the remainder of the fall, training focused on firefighter rescue and survival.  These techniques reinforce the procedures needed to initiate a self-rescue, or to affect the rescue of other crewmembers from untenable hazardous locations, forcible entry techniques, ventilation of smoke and heat from a structure, and live fire burn scenarios.  The final live fire evolution will involve master fire stream operations delivering large quantities of water necessary in combating a fully-involved structure.  This exercise challenges the readiness of personnel changing from an offensive operation to a defensive mode, calculating the quantity and pressures associated with delivering effective streams, and simulating the protection exposures.

Recruit School 2010 has brought several new faces to the Sylvania Township Fire Department.  Each newly hired employee is required to attend the STFD Recruit School.  The Recruit School is four weeks of training that provides the new employees with a basic introduction to all phases of operation within the Department. Some of the highlights of the Recruit School include; Department operations, computer system and data entry, tool and equipment operation, basic fire and rescue techniques and EMS operations.  The class is finalized with live burn scenarios at the King Road Training Facility, where the recruits are able to "put together" some of the techniques they learned during the training. Newly hired part-time employees are required to attend a condensed version of the STFD Recruit School.   Training Facility Upgrades To continue to provide a high level of training at the STFD some recent upgrades were made at the King Road Training Facility. An old semi-truck trailer was converted into an SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) training maze.