Loveland Fire Drill

[nathancarlson]

This evening on my way home from work, I heard the most terrifying thing I have ever heard on the scanner (in over fifteen years so far). A firefighter crying for help that he was trapped in a burning building and was running out of air. I paused on the Talkgroup, and listened with my full attention, praying that the rescue teams they sent in would find him and save him. After about 15 minutes, they announced they had gotten him out of the building and said "drill complete".

Since I only caught part of the event (the firefighter yelling for help) and it sounded so realistic, I was really shaken up there for a while. It amazes me how real it sounded. All of the other drills I have heard from other departments, seem like they are obviously training excersises. But this sounded so realistic. The Incident Commander was doing his best to calm down the "injured firefighter" who I thought was going to die, since he did not know where he was. He almost sounded like he was crying!

Has anybody ever else come across something like this? I wish there was some more indicators that it is a drill so that people aren't freaking out and texting all their friends to pray for the firefighter and looking like and idiot when its all over.

It does give me more of an appreciation for the firefighters that are all out there putting their lives on the line every day. I have done ride a longs on fire engines, and have seen them in action, but nothing (other than the movie Ladder 49) has gotten to me like this did today.

 

[jimmnn]

Yes a pretty common occurance actually on the training TG's especially, Wheat Ridge has a "FF down" right now as we talk. South Metro seems to do them almost weekly.

Remember you will probably hear the exact same thing in Loveland over the next few days for at least 2 more shifts as they come on-duty.

Jim<

 

[nathancarlson]

It was on Fireground8. I will remember to keep that in mind. They usually put their units on the first few Fireground Channels on real calls. I know Longmont does training on Saturdays on thier only active tac channel. I am hoping that they get more channels when they go to DTRS. That seems to work really well in Larimer County.

 

[Spirit]

Loveland Ffire Drill

Loveland uses TG 8 for all their fire training that I have heard..

 

[fireeagle1071ad]

When I was a firefighter in Pennsylvania and we did RIT/FAST team training, the "downed" firefighter was always supposed to play the part. Active PASS devices going off, they were supposed to be crying/screaming for help, etc. The goal in RIT/FAST training just like Firefighter Survival Training was to make it as real as humanly possible. My thumbs up to a IC and FD who get the training and the importance for it.