Champaign, Ill. — Firefighters of all levels are busy training at the Illinois Fire Service Institute today.
Firefighters attending Basic Fire Academy, the Illinois Firefighter’s Association Conference, and Special Operations Training programs fill the campus with activity, color, sound, and smells unique to fighting fires. Instructors ignite special buildings designed to simulate real fires while firefighters practice extinguishing the fires in a controlled environment. One battalion, clothed in full turn-out gear with reflective tape and oxygen masks, rushes one direction with a hose, the battalion chief shouting orders over the sound of the roaring fire and the spray of the water coming out of the nozzle. A few yards away, the sound of thumping axes raises above the din while another battalion practices cutting through a roof, also in full gear. The fuel used, non-treated wooden pallets for low environmental impact, fills the air with dark smoke and the smell of burning wood. Occasionally a siren or a horn will pierce through all the other noise by students driving the trucks and engines and operating the hoses and ladders. There is even a pile of concrete and steel that looks like a building over in one corner collapsed. It is actually a specially constructed and meticulously maintained property designed to teach search and rescue in confined spaces and collapsed buildings.
Inside, several classrooms are full of uniformed officers receiving instruction on how to think about fire behavior, interpreting the signs of how the smoke is moving, and what to look for to make the important life-saving decisions that will also minimize damage to property. Instructors prepare photos and videos to project on a large screen in front to augment their lectures while officers are busy taking notes and asking questions to better understand the subject for maximum efficiency. The office is busy with conversations, copiers, and phones ringing as support personnel coordinate not only the current event, but also future events while keeping track of all the training going on throughout the institute for certification so that communities can be confident that the best qualified firefighters are in the key positions to protect our persons and assets.
All of this works together in order to give firefighters all the tools they need to respond to emergencies as quickly and efficiently as possible to minimize the loss of life and property.
Note: This exercise for COM 105, Basic News Writing, Parkland College was a way to practice capturing sight, sound, and smell when multimedia options are not available or illegal, such as in a court room.
Image: By Senior Airman Scott Jackson (https://www.dvidshub.net/image/1806798) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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