Firefighter Training
Sublette County firefighter training in Riverton June 12 & 13, 2010. Photo courtesy John Ball, Sublette County Firefighters.
|
|
Sublette County firefighters train in Riverton
by Sublette County Firefighters
June 17, 2010
On Saturday, June 12, 2010, and Sunday, June 13, 2010, fifteen Sublette County firefighters, along with three Sublette County Fire instructors and one Sublette County Emergency Medical Service person, converged on the Wyoming State Fire Academy in Riverton, Wyoming. Also assisting with the training was the Wyoming State Fire instructor for southwest Wyoming Shad Cooper and Sweetwater Fire District #1 Fire Chief Jim Wamsley.
This fire training is a labor intensive, grueling and time consuming exercise that trains new firefighting personnel to become state certified as Firefighter I and existing Firefighter I personnel as Firefighter 2. The class started the 1st of February, 2010 and will end with a final written examine on Wednesday (June 23, 2010).
The class was sponsored by the Sublette County Fire Fighters Association under the guidance of Sublette County Fire Warden TJ Hunt. It was coordinated by Bondurant Fire Department Firefighter Eric Schneider with the help of the fire chief’s of the six fire departments that serve Sublette County; Fire Chief John Ball Big Piney/Mableton, Fire Chief John Blaha Boulder, Fire Chief Ben Franklin Daniel, Fire Chief Alvin Mitchell Pinedale, Fire Chief Richard Thomas Bondurant, and Fire Chief Joe Sampson Kendall Valley/Cora.
The classes consist of five months of reading exercises, weekly tests, classroom and hands on training every three weeks, which were conducted at the different fire departments in the county, and taught by the coordinator and fire chiefs. The course culminated with the final training of all the students from the county fire departments at the live fire event in Riverton.
This training is a reflection of how the county fire departments work together. They train together so they can work together to better serve the citizens of Sublette County.
The Sublette County Commissioners play a very important role with their support and by providing the fire departments with the necessary equipment to be effective and efficient to serve the citizens of Sublette County.
At live fire training on the first day firefighters went through a number of hands-on evolutions. They consisted of fire ventilation tactics, forcible entry, car, propane tank, pit and dumpster fires. Also firefighters practiced attacking and extinguishing live fires in a controlled burn building. Fire searches, rescues and many more functions were performed by the firefighters.
On the second day actual fire scenarios were set up and the firefighters had to work as a team to extinguish a house fire in the controlled burn building. It was arduous, but a highly-rewarding experience that showed the firefighters what they can and are capable of doing. The two-day training was conducted thoroughly and safely under the guidance of the instructors; State Fire Instructor Shad Cooper, Sweetwater District #1 Fire Chief Jim Wamsley, Fire Chief John Ball, Fire Chief Joe Sampson, Coordinator Firefighter Eric Schneider and EMT Forest McMurdo.
For the past five years this type of training has been offered to Sublette County firefighters on a yearly basis. This helps train new firefighters and helps current firefighters learn new fire-fighting techniques and advance in certification. Firefighters also attend different fire schools throughout the state, conducted at different times of the year. In the business of fire fighting, it is an ongoing process of constantly learning and training. From Firefighter I to Fire Officer III, firefighters can spend years learning, advancing and becoming more competent. With all this time spent training and learning ways to better serve our communities, one has to remember that the fire fighting service in Sublette County is a volunteer vocation.
These are the firefighters that will protect our citizens now and in the future. When you see a firefighter, thank him/her for so unselfishly giving of their time to better serve our community.
Photos courtesy John Ball, Sublette County Firefighters
|
