Volunteers travel to Norwich for live fire training
NORWICH – As part of their training, volunteers from Chenango County fire departments and other nearby areas traveled to Norwich and faced what could be considered their first fire.
The live burn occurred on Saturday morning at the training grounds on Hale Street in the City of Norwich and over 20 volunteers took part in the burn as another step towards becoming a full-fledged firefighter.
"We have two vehicles to set on fire, and they've both been drained of potentially explosive materials such as gas, oil, and struts," said Fire Coordinator of the Chenango County Bureau of Fire Matthew Beckwith.
Beckwith said the training session was a great way for the firefighters in training to experience their first fire and to practice the safety maneuvers they've learned in the classroom.
"The training session is to ensure firefighters know the proper way to extinguish car fires."
"Instructors are making sure they put the fires out safely and paying attention to potential hazards as they approach the vehicle," he said.
According to Beckwith, in an uncontrolled environment, bumpers and shocks can explode off of vehicles causing a person significant injuries if they're not careful.
He said the training session is a good way to allow the volunteers to practice extinguishing burning vehicles without the imminent danger of an explosion.
Other forms of training were tested at the live burn including equipment management and mental fortitude.
Beckwith said if volunteers tried to open up sections of their gear to try and cool off, the steam generated from dousing the car fires could have caused them painful burns, so it was imperative for them to remain in the full gear.
"We had to schedule the meeting relatively early in the morning because of the heat index," said Beckwith.
Beckwith said due to New York State guidelines outdoor training can't continue if the heat index – a combination of temperature and humidity – reaches 105, and by the end of the training session, it had.
Anyone interested in serving their community and fighting fires can put an application into their local fire department, said Beckwith.
"Now more than ever we need individuals who are willing to answer the call and help protect their friends, family, and community," he said.
Vehicles used for training purposes were donated by the Otsego Auto Crushers.
Pictured: Volunteer fire fighters face their first flames during a training session at the Fire Department Training Grounds in Norwich on Saturday morning.
The live burn occurred on Saturday morning at the training grounds on Hale Street in the City of Norwich and over 20 volunteers took part in the burn as another step towards becoming a full-fledged firefighter.
"We have two vehicles to set on fire, and they've both been drained of potentially explosive materials such as gas, oil, and struts," said Fire Coordinator of the Chenango County Bureau of Fire Matthew Beckwith.
Beckwith said the training session was a great way for the firefighters in training to experience their first fire and to practice the safety maneuvers they've learned in the classroom.
"The training session is to ensure firefighters know the proper way to extinguish car fires."
"Instructors are making sure they put the fires out safely and paying attention to potential hazards as they approach the vehicle," he said.
According to Beckwith, in an uncontrolled environment, bumpers and shocks can explode off of vehicles causing a person significant injuries if they're not careful.
He said the training session is a good way to allow the volunteers to practice extinguishing burning vehicles without the imminent danger of an explosion.
Other forms of training were tested at the live burn including equipment management and mental fortitude.
Beckwith said if volunteers tried to open up sections of their gear to try and cool off, the steam generated from dousing the car fires could have caused them painful burns, so it was imperative for them to remain in the full gear.
"We had to schedule the meeting relatively early in the morning because of the heat index," said Beckwith.
Beckwith said due to New York State guidelines outdoor training can't continue if the heat index – a combination of temperature and humidity – reaches 105, and by the end of the training session, it had.
Anyone interested in serving their community and fighting fires can put an application into their local fire department, said Beckwith.
"Now more than ever we need individuals who are willing to answer the call and help protect their friends, family, and community," he said.
Vehicles used for training purposes were donated by the Otsego Auto Crushers.
Pictured: Volunteer fire fighters face their first flames during a training session at the Fire Department Training Grounds in Norwich on Saturday morning.
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