Team trains for urban response

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As the recent autumn morphed into winter, eight CFA firefighters committed to the challenging task of upskilling in District 10’s autumn PUAFIR203 Respond to Urban Fire intensive.

 

Hosted at VEMTC West Sale, the 10-day intensive training kicked off Monday morning with Fire Science and an in-depth inquiry into the cause of dangerous heat reactions, where hydrogen gas is produced from applying water to a Class D fire. The students are fascinated by the water molecule being shredded by the 2,763°C burning metal.

By the afternoon of day one, the camaraderie is evident; the group forms a strong bond and with 66 hours of course delivery ahead of them it is important to be in good company.

Into day two and the course delivery team is strengthened with the addition of District 10 Volunteer Instructor, Lieutenant Robinson, who is co-delivering and being mentored by FRV instructors in RUF course delivery techniques. Taking the bull by the horns, Adam is front and centre, drawing on industry experience to illustrate situations of commercial kitchen fires and suitable extinguishing mediums.

Long and short pulse techniques with the 38mm Protek spill into forcible entry training and nearing the end of the first week the students have received a blend of concentrated theory and practical training that will no doubt be making segment by segment appearances at their respective brigade training nights, as the best way to truly learn something is to teach it to others.

Back for week two, halfway through the journey and everyone agrees the weekend went by too quickly. The presentation material is now deep into the application of the DRA (J08.02 Dynamic Risk Assessment) with class discussion revolving around how firefighters continuously identify, assess, and control risks in the rapidly changing circumstances of an operational incident or training scenario.

Looking around the room, everyone seems to have a handle on the Clove Hitch, the Round Turn Two Half Hitches, but what about the Bow Line?  Several students are muttering the mnemonic "Up through the rabbit hole, round the big tree; down through the rabbit hole and off goes he."

Assessment day. We arrive at the summit. As an instructor, it is truly rewarding to see the students traverse the learning arc of PUAFIR203, especially when the arc involves the splintering crunch of a Hooligan tool forcing door entry so a BA crew can conduct their primary search and contain a bedroom fire.

Congratulations to the eight firefighters for their significant upskilling achievement. There is no doubt their communities and brigades are in better hands with the practical and theoretical knowledge they now possess.

 

  • D10 RUF Intensive group photoD10 RUF Intensive group photo
  • D10 RUF Intensive smoke observations D10 RUF Intensive smoke observations
  • D10 RUF Intensive search and rescue D10 RUF Intensive search and rescue
  • D10 RUF Intensive forcible entry D10 RUF Intensive forcible entry
  • D10 RUF Intensive branch handling D10 RUF Intensive branch handling
Submitted by Leigh Roberts