Fire Drill

"Search & rescue"

Troy Fire Fighter Danny Hokanson conducted a drill for the Deary Fire Department at the Old Troy High School.  The object of this exercise is to realize how easy it is to get disoriented in a pitch black smoke filled environment and how to avoid it.

The drill:  A fire fighter has gone down while fighting a fire and fortunately his crew heard his personal alarm sound.  They enter the building in search of their fallen comrade. In this exercise, their breathing masks have been blacked out to simulate pure darkness, the fire fighter follows the hose line up the stairwell and finally to their fallen comrade.  After finding the fallen fire fighter, they have to remain calm and take the fire fighting out of the building all the while not losing contact with the fire hose which is their guide out of the smoke charged building.

This drill is an extremely valuable lesson in fire/rescue operations.  I (Bob McCullough) have sadly lost two comrades on the Los Angeles County Fire Department in my 26 year carrier due to disorientation and failure to follow the hose line to safety without panicking.

Danny laying out the scenario getting the fire fighters prepared

This fire fighter is searching and feeling his surroundings as well as keeping one hand on the hose line to keep himself oriented to the direction of travel

Here, the fire fighter has found his fallen comrade and is attempting to drag him to safety all the while keeping  aware of his lifeline, the fire hose

Other fire fighters have responded to a call for help and assist in evacuating the fire fighter to safety

Communication between one another is extremely crucial

Life hangs on the balance of these fire fighters working together and knowing what they are doing

As this drill concludes, this exhausted fire fighter realizes the importance of ongoing drills for training for what could be their life in the balance