An Cosantóir

| 11 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE domestic f ires, and large gorse f ires presented physically tough challenges which required dynamic problem solving as situations change and develop. Weeks 6 and 7 were the Breathing Apparatus (BA) training module which took place in the Fire Training Centre located in Hacketstown Fire Station, Co. Carlow. The main facilit y is the 'hot house' which, for anyone who has been inside, will bring a smile to their face. "It 's hot " is all anyone will say about the experience. Entering the building in teams of two, it is so dark you cannot see your hand directly in front of your face. You don't know the layout of the building which compounds the disorientation. A t ypical exercise would involve; Searching for a casualt y while simultaneously dragging 30m of hose into the building, down a stairs, around a corner, up a ladder, snagging on ever y piece of furniture along the way. When you locate the casualt y; check your contents gauge for how much air you have lef t. Pick up the casualt y, turn around, back out exactly the way you came. Don't forget to unsnag the hose from ever y piece of furniture on the way. Last door, see the light, into the open air, made it. "Change your c ylinders and get back in there we still have casualties in there". You wonder how it could be enjoyable, but ever y person lef t the training ground each day with a smile and a sense of accomplishment having overcome dif f icult and challenging conditions. The content covered during the course, the instructional deliver y and the methodologies by all instructors is to be commended for the BA course. However a special mention and thanks must go to the external instructors provided by the Fire Training Centre. Station Of f icer Eddie Coleman, and Sub Station Of f icer Franny Corcoran bring a wealth of knowledge, built up over long careers in Carlow Fire Ser vice. They based their instruction on real world examples of what does and does not work. How to operate safely whilst in the risk area and to keep your team safe. This knowledge is invaluable, and the Defence Forces is grateful to have their input year on year. Road Traf f ic Collision (RTC) training is the f inal module covered on the course. An insightful week into the construction of vehicles, the nature of vehicle collisions, and how complex a rescue from a vehicle can be. A systematic approach is applied to ever y incident. Overall scene safet y is heavily emphasised to keep the f ire crew and casualties safe from any fur ther harm. Fighting a vehicle f ire is done in BA due to the toxic nature of the fumes that may be released from combusting materials in a vehicle. Students must be conf ident using the extensive inventor y of tools such as; glass hammers, hydraulic snips, spreaders, rams, hooligan bars. Training on the equipment provides the unique oppor tunit y to surgically deconstruct vehicles as your day job on a Tuesday morning! The Techniques of stabilization, glass management, door removal, roof cutaway, availing of creative use of all the previously mentioned tools. The training centred on live exercises, call outs to over turned and t-boned vehicles strewn around the Curragh Camp. These exercises challenged the students to problem solve under pressure to safely extract entrapped, of ten distraught, casualties. Successful completion of this course allows soldiers to ser ve on the f ire crew at home and overseas. Fur ther training oppor tunities and specialisation in areas such as Breathing Apparatus Instructor or as Road Traf f ic Collision Instructor are available and highly encouraged. These courses take place in the UK, training with f ire ser vice personnel from all over Ireland & the UK. The Corps of Engineers continues to enhance its f iref ighting capabilit y. The Corps has recently procured two new Scania/HPMP f ire tenders, one based in the DF TC and one deployed to UNIFIL. The tenders have enhanced the Fire Fighting capabilities of the Corps. The Compressed Air and Foam System (CAFS) on the new tender allows for the crew to rapidly gain control of a f ire and stop its spread. There is a full suite of power ful modern hydraulic and 'e-draulic' (batter y powered hydraulic) equipment such as spreaders and snips, as well as rams for use at road traf f ic collisions. Through the purchase of modern equipment coupled with continued professional development, f iref ighting remains a fundamental capabilit y of the Corps of Engineers. www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 11 Students working as a pair to deal with the Fire Burning car scenario, testing the students learned skills The toxic smoke just shows the huge dangers Fire Fighters face Walking through the flames a true test of courage Fire crew battles to extinguish the blaze at Hacketstown Fire Station

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