This month’s all company fire drill focused on an exercise we hope is never needed but essential for survival if our air supply fails.

Members spent some time in the classroom reviewing the safety components of our self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The SCBA has a feature that allows a firefighter to share their air supply with another firefighter who may have run out of air or experienced a malfunction.

The rest of the drill had the members pair up and perform a challenging exercise. An SCBA was placed on a wood pallet. Two firefighters in full protective clothing were each provided with a detached SCBA regulator. They had to attach and detach their regulators from the air supply of the SCBA on the pallet, passing the connection between them, while pushing the pallet across the front apron of the firehouse (approximately 75’).

The goal was to teach firefighters to control their breathing under a simulated no air situation and to think about their partner’s need for air. The SCBA laden pallet was designed to introduce an exertion and coordination factor.

With each training opportunity, we aim to improve our preparedness to serve you and each other with the utmost professionalism.