Safety & Survival
 

Safety and survival skills are essential for firefighters. Navigating a smoke-filled environment in total darkness is dangerous work. Add to it heat, stress and numerous unknown obstacles within a building and the job becomes downright scary.

Recently, Big Tree firefighters attended a safety and survival training course. This course was meant to build confidence in the firefighter and his/her abilities. Blindfolded and wearing complete turnout gear including Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), firefighters went through a number of claustrophobic inducing mazes. By the end of this exhaustive training, firefighters were better situated to deal with the challenges of a confined space zero-visibility environment.
 
A low profile confined space maneuver is practiced. The firefighter must remove his/her SCBA and hold it out in front of him/her while passing thorough the narrow opening.
After emerging from the narrow opening, the firefighter must done his/her SCBA.
 
Another low profile maneuver is practiced, this time in a square tunnel.
To get by the metal pole, the firefighter must place his/her SCBA in front of him/her and rise up over the steel rod.
 
Here the firefighter maneuvers through a standard 16 inch wall opening obscured with electrical wires. Again a low profile maneuver is required.
Still wearing SCBA, the firefighter inches his way through a narrow space.
 
Ropes are used to simulate wires through which a firefighter may need to maneuver through avoiding entanglement.