Page 13 - UFRA Straight Tip Spring 2023 - Volume 24 Issue 2

Mayday and SCBA emergency training
hydrant that did not have a steamer port. This firefighter did not know how to use 21⁄2 to 41⁄2 adapters to make the connection. He had never been trained on this.
Many departments have gone to smooth bore nozzles, not realizing that the hose now must be a low-pressure hose. This lack of basic under- standing allows hose lines to kink, and it is difficult to advance a hose line that is not stiff.
Search and Rescue
A search and rescue is a low-frequency/high-risk event that cannot be emphasized enough. This is one of the most stressful situations a
Firefighters practicing removal of a victim from a window
firefighter can be involved in. Making sure we create strong muscle memory with this skill becomes critical to the success of rescuing victims. Practicing this skill can be as simple as utilizing areas of the station. It’s amazing how we can change familiar areas by simply adding obstructions and blacking out facepieces.
Ladder Operations
Something as simple as carrying and deploying a ladder creates anxiety and fear in many of our firefighters. Most firefighters will tell you they need more training on the deployment of ladders. Placing a ladder for rescue versus for ventilation, removing a victim down a ladder, lad- dering a roof, or simply climbing ladders properly are skills that need frequent practice.
Spend the time to master basic firefighting skills. Something as basic as donning our firefighting gear and SCBA properly increases our response times, helps us prevent injury, and increases the likelihood of our sur- vival during operations.
Jared Sholly has been in the fire service since 1993. He started his career with Layton City Fire and moved through the ranks of firefighter, paramedic, driver/op- erator, captain, battalion chief, and training administrative battalion chief. He has a bachelor of science degree from Utah Val-
ley University and has lectured at local fire academies, UFRA’s Winter Fire School, the Utah State Fire Chiefs Conference, Fire- house Expo San Diego, and the Utah Public Safety Summit. He is currently the fire chief of Riverdale City, where he has served for the past seven years.
Ladder deployment to a second-story window
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