| Over the past week, both the Junior Corps and the firefighters of the Bedford Fire Department participated in mask confidence drills to reinforce the ability to perform search and rescue operations in smoky and blackout conditions inside a working fire.
For the Junior Corp drill, members used wax paper inside their air masks to simulate a smoke condition. In teams of three, members used halligan and axe tools, flashlights, and communication between each other to help find two infants (plastic) and our newest JC member, Jacob Warshaw. Emphasizing the importance of using senses other than sight, teams crawled along the room feeling for hazards as well as possible victims. Though the navigation of the modified room was tough, most if not all of the victims were found successfully.
In the regular department drill, the "modified" upstairs lounge was filled with cold smoke from a fog machine, replacing the need for wax paper. After placing two JC members within the room, teams of three firefighters searched the room using hand tools and a thermal imaging camera. It took very little time for each team to successfully find and remove the "unconscious" victims from the room. |
