More than 50 firefighters, including members of the Pohakuloa Training Area Fire Department, gathered July 1-2 to take the “Nozzle Forward” course.
This structural firefighting training was coordinated by the Hawaii Fire Department and taught by an expert from the Seattle Fire Department.
Participants came from across the the state. Designed as a “train-the-trainer” type event, participants return home to teach their department personnel the unique skills and procedures.
“PTA has the only live firefighting training structure on the island, and we’re proud to be able to support the readiness of local firefighters,” said PTA Commander Lt. Col. Tim Alvarado in a statement. “Our first responders respond to daily incidents on Daniel K. Inouye Highway such as stranded hikers, vehicle accidents and other emergencies.”
Some benefits from this training include decreased time to get fires under control, reducing property loss, risk reduction, and more. Participants received classroom and hands-on training at PTA’s Military Oriented on Urban Terrain Facility.
“The importance of training for firefighters cannot be understated because the expectation when the public calls is that we deliver professional services,” said training coordinator Battalion Chief Patrick Springer with the HFD. “When we arrive on scene, time is our enemy, so we need to put out the fire as quickly as possible to minimize the threat to our personnel and the community we serve.”
Aaron Fields with the Seattle Fire Department developed this training “after eating some humble pie” early in his career and spent a decade taking classes from experts around the country to improve his skills.
He developed this problem-solving curriculum for structural firefighting that can be tailored to each company’s specific requirements. Fields says about 70,000 firefighters and 450 fire departments have implemented this skillset in some capacity since he started teaching this class 12 years ago.
“It’s basically rediscovery of engine company tactics and techniques … most fire departments that we implement this training are using this within a few years as their base, the first thing people are learning.”
Fields says this class also includes building construction and layout, and thermodynamics.
“Our gear has gotten better and better, and it’s inoculated us to the point that we’re not always sure what’s going on around us in the spaces we’re operating in,” he said.
Adam Hussey with the Kauai Fire Department said, “We came to this training because we feel that if we work together across the islands, we’re stronger together.”
“This is the best training ever held on this island for this generation of firefighters, and it wouldn’t have been possible without PTA’s support,” said Springer. “We are truly grateful for this partnership.”
