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February 2008

 

Firefighter Survival Training

Saturday February 23rd - 18 members of this department were in attendance today at the Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy for Firefighter Survival training.  The training started out with instruction on donning SCBA and what to do if a problem arises with you pack as well as how to fit thru tight spaces when wearing an SCBA.  Also we focused on dealing with entanglements and how to properly escape from them.  After several practice runs, it was off to the survival evolutions.  Firefighter's were broken into groups of 2 and sent to 2 different stations where each firefighter had to work their way thru tight enclosed spaces with obstructions in their way, wall breaching and locating downed firefighters.  During their search, each firefighter practiced calling the mayday on our new trunk radios, when they would get caught up in an entanglement or encounter some type of obstruction.  After several rounds, all that was present agreed that this was a very beneficial training exercise.  Once again, we would like to thank the county fire instructors for their hard work today.  Enjoy the photos and videos from this training.

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Congratulations Vincent & Al

Saturday February 16th - The members of Station 25 would like to acknowledge all who ran in the election of Commissioners for Fire District 3.  First off, we would like to congratulate Vincent Inzano who has been re-elected into office as well as Al Pinnella who was just been voted into office.  We trust that with their combined years experience and life-long residency of this district, that they will do their utmost to help serve and protect the lives and property of the citizens, taxpayers and everyone who's presence is within Franklin Township Fire District 3.

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Structural Firefighting Operations Drill

Sunday February 10th - On Saturday we conducted a drill on Berry St. in which we focused on the different operations within the fire service.  Firefighter's were first broken into different groups from Search & Rescue, Ventilation, to Engine Company Operations.  Along with the smoke machine, we were able to create a real like situation with heavy smoke within the structure with little to no visibility.  During the Search & Rescue practical, we focused on covering the search area with 3 or more firefighters, how to handle entanglements and procedures and if a firefighter becomes trapped.  Towards the completion of the drill we setup a bailout situation in which rigging was setup with the use of Ladder-25 so that firefighters could practice and get a better feel when and if a firefighter has to bailout of the building.  On Part 2 of the drill along with Station 31 Franklin Park Fire Company, we conducted several search and rescue patterns, ventilation, breaching thru walls and calling the mayday.  Thank you to the training committee and personnel for setting up the drill and for securing the structure for our use.  Also we appreciate working with our brothers over at Station 31.  After all, the real brotherhood in the fire service is not about trying hard to find ways to make another company look bad or to try to throw one another "under the bus" just to try to make yourself look good by getting in the spotlight, or who's engine is the fastest by trying to out race someone just to get to the scene first, but it is about working together in unity so that every department can follow and lead by example.  We will be conducting further drills within the township in the near future as more building have recently become available to us to train in.

Courtesy of Safety Officer Al Pinnella

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Master Stream Training

Wednesday February 6th - Tonight's duty crew training was conducted over on Roosevelt Ave. where we used the master stream system off of Ladder-25.  Both deluge guns, one fully automatic and the second, a manual smooth bore, was put to use.  Everyone in attendance was crossed trained on how to hook up to the Ladder, how to operate the streams and how to maneuver the ladder from the controls.  Also our chauffeur of the engine demonstrated the proper amount of psi being used during the detail.

Courtesy of FF Alex Jaquez

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Unit Citation Awarded To Station 25

Monday February 4th - A unit citation was awarded to our crew that operated Ladder-25 and the additional manpower provided by our station during a structure fire on 60 Gallop Lane in the Franklin Park section.  This award was presented by the Fire Commissioners of Fire District 2 and announced tonight during our department mtg.  Congratulations for the hard work and dedication that was displayed.  Keep up the fine work.

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Suede Flashover Simulator Training

Saturday February 1st - Today, 20 members were in attendance for the flashover training which was held at Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy in Hillsborough Twp.  Firefighters present, were broken up intro groups in which the members had an opportunity to see what it is like when the conditions indicate when a flashover is going to occur.  The special part of the training came when the instructors allowed our members to control the water flow by operating the nozzle inside the simulator.  This is a first for any department that has trained in the simulator at the county so it was an exciting moment for the group that was present.  Once we completed several evolutions, all members pitched in to assist the instructors with cleanup and breaking down the lines.  We would like to thank the county fire instructors for a outstanding training session.  More training to come.  Stay Tuned!