| For the monthly Junior Corps drill in February, 1st Assistant Chief Joanne Aquilino decided to put together a surprise set up, and transform the meeting room in the upstairs portion of the firehouse into a tricky and hard-to-negotiate mask confidence course.
The Youth Program members were quickly divided into groups of either two or three, and sent in to the room blacked out and blindfolded. The task: locate unconscious victims dispersed throughout the room. As an added incentive, fire department related "goodies" were placed across the search area, for keeps by those who found them.
For those not running the course, Firefighter/EMT and YP advisor Karina Warshaw led a session on SCBA inspection and maintenance, covering anything and everything related to air packs. Time was also spent checking and changing each others packs, as well as performing low and reduced profile maneuvers essential in training classes and potentially in real world fire situations.
Following a night of successful communication and searches, as well as the incredible efficiency of the "alpha team" (mainly because of their third member), YP members doffed their packs and discussed some of the pros and cons associated with breathing apparatus and search techniques.
The Youth Program members would like to extend their thanks to Car 2042 and the YP advisors in setting up and running this informative and fun drill. Unfortunately, no photos were available of the mask confidence room, as the design is strictly confidential. |
