2014 TOG and SCBA Training

Pond Hill-Lily Lake Fire Company held our annual Turn Out Gear (TOG) and Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) training this weekend.

Our newest Turn Out Gear, which is the clothing we wear during a fire, was presented to all members and the details of it's protective levels, cleaning, and setup where evaluated.  While most fire fighters view TOG skills and education as basic skills, the need to review them is always present as even a small mistake can be life-threatening.  Preventative maintenance and cleaning for TOG is becoming more and more essential as our average set of gear is priced at $3,000 per member.

 After we completed our TOG section of training, we went over the basic design and function of our SCBA packs and refreshed our members on their use.  Member's masks were covered and an obstacle course was setup within our station.  Members had to search the building and clear each room eventually finding and extracting a patient from the building.  Nearly blind and pushed to fit in places their gear could barely fit, all of our members managed to find the patient and no group got separated or lost in the building.  Good work!

The last phase of our SCBA training was a simulated low air situation.  Members where placed in a situation where their air supply was about to run out and self extrication from the building was impossible.  Members practiced breathing techniques to conserve air and experienced running out of air completely.

Next month our training will be focused on Rapid Intervention Teams and Self Rescue while using SCBA packs.  We would like to thank all members who attended this months training.