Rising Sun Firefighters go hi-tech
New equipment utilizes computers for training

By Jane Weaver
Photos by Matt Given

Firefighters Curtis Tomlinson and Max Scheibe tackle a simulated fire inside the new Kidde Firefighter Training Trailer in Rising Sun.

The smoke was thick and heat hung in the air like a blanket as firefighters pushed into the darkness dragging a high-pressure water hose.

This time, it was only a drill.

The Community Fire Company of Rising Sun has already trained 90 people with their new Kidde Fire Training Trailer, according to Captain John Smith.

"We have 439 hours total in the trailer," he said.

The 40-by-8 foot training trailer, which arrived in November, was obtained with a grant through the federal Department of Homeland Security. Smith said the grant also replaced all their turnout gear and gave each firefighter his own mask for the breathing apparatus.

"It's basically a 45-foot shipping container," Smith said of the bright red unit which sits on the parking lot of the station house on Biggs Highway.

The Kidde Company then outfitted the trailer with devices to emit smoke and flames. It also has eight movable wall panels to create mazes for training. There are also staircases to practice getting out of basements, and a pitched roof on top to practice knocking fires down while working on a slant.

ALLOWS FOR PRACTICE
At the fire company's request Kidde also put a double-door on the trailer. The inner door has a spring-loaded latch that allows firefighters to practice prying open locked doors to gain entry.

"It allows you to practice all the things you need to know how to do," Smith said.

The whole operation is guided by computers and monitors that keep the training operations from getting out of hand.

Smith said the computers keep the fire from burning too long and keep gas from building up inside the trailer.

The company wanted the unit because the next closest facility was inconvenient.

"The regular facility was in Aberdeen Proving Ground," he said.

Tightened security measures made it inaccessible.

"We wrote the grant after 9/11 because it was so hard to get in there," Smith said.

He said getting a definite list of firefighters to get past security at the Harford County base was tough with the volunteer force. It also meant that firefighters were not available if they were needed at home.

Now firefighters can gather at their home base and train in three-hour sessions.

KEEP SKILLS FRESH
Smith said seasoned firefighters keep their skills fresh with the training trailer. However, for the novices it provides invaluable practice before they ever get into a fire situation.

"It helps them get experience before they're subjected to an actual incident," Smith said. "It'll make them more aware of what they're going into."

Curtis Tomlinson has had 16 hours of training in the fire trailer.

"I learned about forced entry," the 18-year-old Rising Sun resident said.

Tomlinson said it took more power than he realized to use a prying tool called a Halligan bar to open a steel entry door. It was his first trip inside the trailer that he remembers well because of what is called "flash-over."

"I didn't know we had that (in the simulator) until it started blowing over me," Tomlinson said.

Flash-over is when fire races across a ceiling.

"I've learned so much from being in here," he said.

It's the same story from Max Scheibe.

"It's kind of like a real house fire," said Scheibe, a 17-year-old graduate of the Cecil County School of Technology's Fire Science program.

Scheibe, who's been a member of the fire company for a year-and-a-half, said the trailer's fire scenario is "close to the real thing. It gets hot in there, too."

The only difference, he said, is in a real house fire, "there's a floor that could be gone."

VALUABLE TRAINING
He said the basement training, which he never got before, has been valuable to him.

"I've learned that there's only one way out," he said, adding that he also learned about ventilation.

Smith said he and seven other members of the Rising Sun squad have taken the training to operate the trailer. It's an eight-hour course that teaches them how to set the simulator for different kinds of training, how to read the monitors and maintain all the equipment.

For instance, the flames only burn for two minutes. Then, sensors tell the pilot light on the propane-powered burner to shut down. Other sensors tell if gas has built up inside the steel box.

The smoke isn't as fussy. Smith said it can generate a thick cloud for eight hours on one bottle of mineral oil.

When the flames are racing up the walls and smoke has filled the enclosed area it gets very hot and very dark inside. Without the firefighter turnout gear and breathing apparatus it feels like an oven with a grease fire.

But Smith said it's what firefighters must be ready for whenever they arrive at a fire scene.

"It's very important to be very good at doing the basic skills," Smith said. "It's what translates into being a good firefighter."

Smith said once they get comfortable with running the simulator they will invite other fire companies in Cecil County to train with them.

Cecil Whig - March 25, 2005