On Tuesday, March 12, 2009, twenty-three (23) career and volunteer personnel from the station participated in a live fire training exercise at the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute (MFRI) at the University of Maryland, College Park. The drill was a perfect opportunity for crews to hone their skills and learn new things.
Crews rotated through the various evolutions in various roles, including the engine company, the truck company and the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT). All evolutions were based on structural firefighting and the scenarios included basement fires, a first floor fire and fire on upper floors. Crews advanced hose lines, extinguished the fire, placed ground ladders and conducted search and rescue efforts. Some personnel were able to practice pump operations and aerial operations as part of their driver’s training.
Crews were evaluated to determine their level of proficiency and confidence in their abilities. A critique of this training exercise will be scheduled in the next few weeks so we can provide feedback to personnel, as well as, get their input into what they thought went well and what they could improve upon. These evaluations and feedback from the upcoming critique will be used to develop the drill schedule for the balance of 2009.