CFD Fire Company’s 1, 2, and 3 participated in the Deputy’s Structure Fire Drill this past Saturday and Sunday morning. This year, Deputy Germaine designed a live-fire training exercise geared to simulating a realistic Structure Fire Response complete with a water shuttle operation and live fire on two floors of our training building.

(Saturday) – Fire crews responded from the Carver Elementary School, located at 85 Main Street, with three Engine Company’s, a Heavy Rescue, and a Tanker, to a reported structure fire in the building at our training facility, located at 99 Main Street.  First in crews encountered a heavy smoke from the first and then second floors our three story training building. The first due Engine Company was ordered to make entry on side A, through our forcible entry door prop, conduct a quick primary search of the first floor and move towards fire extinguishment.  Orders to the second arriving Engine Company were to extend a second attack line to the second floor of the building for search and fire extinguishment.  Rescue 1’s crew was assigned vertical ventilation at the rear of the building.   A third Engine Company was assigned to Water Supply, drafting out of the Carver Elementary School’s underground 30,000 gallon water tank, about ¼ mile away. Tanker 1 would then shuttle water from the water supply Engine to a portable pool set up in front of the first due attack Engine. 

(Sunday) – Fire crews responded from the Carver Elementary School, located at 85 Main Street, with three Engine Company’s, a Heavy Rescue, a Tanker and a Onset Ladder, to a reported structure fire in the building at our training facility, located at 99 Main Street.  First in crews encountered a heavy smoke from the first and then second floors our three story training building.  The first due Engine Company was ordered to make entry on side A, through our forcible entry door prop, conduct a quick primary search of the first floor and move towards fire extinguishment.  Orders to the second arriving Engine Company were given to lay a 4” line supplying the building standpipe system. Firefighters utilizing the Onset ladder were ordered to make entry via the ladder extended to the third floor, charge the standpipe fire hose and attack a fire on the second floor.  Rescue 1’s crew was assigned vertical ventilation at the rear of the building.  A third Engine Company was assigned to Water Supply, drafting out of the Carver Elementary School’s underground 30,000 gallon water tank, about ¼ mile away. Tanker 1 would then shuttle water from the water supply Engine to the attack Engine feeding the standpipe system. 

With the cooperation of Carver EMS, an EMS/Rehab Sector was established, with all CFD personnel transitioning through the Rehab Sector at least once during the exercise.  Each day, a complete structure fire scenario was run three times, with a six to eight live burns completed throughout the morning allowing firefighters to practice in different positions on the apparatus.

This is the seventh year we have been able to conduct the live structure fire training at our facility. Every time a CFD firefighter can hone their live fire skills working under real fire conditions raises our firefighter’s confidence when they are working the real thing! This labor-intensive training exercise would not be possible if it was not for such a dedicated CFD Officer core to help Deputy Germaine facilitate all the scripted evolutions throughout the two days.  (Photo’s by Retired Firefighter, Rick Leopardi)