Firefighters never know what weather conditions they will face when out on a run.
On Saturday, during training, they faced cold temperatures.
The training ranged from firefighters getting their first training to those who have been a firefighter for years getting yearly training hours, said Scott Thompson, president of the Dixie Firefighters Association and instructor for the State Fire Rescue Training District Five. He’s also assistant chief at the Northeast Nelson Fire protection District and started his firefighting career in 1981 as a junior firefighter.
Firefighters attended classroom training in administrative courses and hands one rescue. There were also new classes like one on the 1988 Carrolton bus accident and another about autism awareness.
There were more than 500 people at this year’s event. Thompson said there was a smaller and limited school in 2021 but this year they were able to have a larger training event.
The cold weather, Thompson said, will help them prepare for similar situations because they fight fires in all weather situations.
When firefighters start out, they have classes from how to put on their gear, how to use a ladder and other basic skills that will make them a better firefighter from the beginning. They don’t want to throw them into a fire situation to learn on-site, he said. They want them to know the basics in firefighting before they go out.
After that, firefighters can keep going with other training to help improve their skills. Trainers can expose them to dangerous environments in a controlled environment in training before they fight a fire on site so it’s not the first time they are exposed to it, Thompson said.
Jonathan Mattingly, an instructor and 17-year veteran of the fire service, was teaching students about basic fire skills. That ranges from raising ladders to helping victims out of windows or opening up roofs, to working on ventilation to get out flames and smoke as well as forcible entry to get through a door with as minimum damage possible, Mattingly said. The training also included a smoke maze that helps firefighters become more confident in using their other senses in a smoky room.
He said having confidence in their equipment is the most important lesson they can learn.
“It’s why we train, so they’ll know how to use the equipment to save lives,” he said.
During the Louis Crosier Safety Symposium, Thompson said farmers and rescuers work together on safety and techniques for the best result. They need each other to know how to rescue the farmer, he said. This training helps firefighters learn how to take things a part to get people out and how to stabilize large equipment.
Bruce Roberts, Deputy Director with the fire commission, has been fighting fires since 1972 and has been with the fire commission for 15 years.
“The training helps us look at the new ideas for firefighter training and help them get their training hours that are required to be a firefighter in the state of Kentucky,” he said.
The training also offers new classes to know something new in the fire service, he said. Fire schools are the best place to get training hours and it’s important to keep your knowledge up in the fire service, he said.
Dillon Hall, 14, of Chaplin, trained on Saturday as a junior firefighter.
“I always wanted to help my community and be a part of something bigger,” he said of joining. “I’m learning how to be a better person and be more involved in my community and I want to help more people the best that I can.”
He summed up the need to train to be a firefighter as, “People need help.”
Becca Owsley can be reached at 270-505-1416 bowsley@thenewsenterprise.com.