Altus Air Force Base News

 

Altus AFB firefighters receive structural collapse rescue training

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Klynne Pearl Serrano
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Base firefighters received structural collapse rescue training at the training pit July 30 to Aug. 3, 2012.

The structural collapse rescue training was led by Jim Carter and Sean Broyles, owner and co-owner of Tech-ResQ Training Specialists, Inc.

The first two days of the training consisted of shoring, which is material used to support a structure to prevent collapsing or further collapsing.

"We covered all the different types of shoring to make the building safe to enter and to extricate and save the victims," Broyles said.

"The next two days of the class was about concrete--building, breaking, lifting and moving it," Broyles said. "We actually went in and busted through concrete slabs, lifted sections of that out, and tried to tunnel through the rubble to save the victims."

After four days of training, the firefighters went through an exercise that was set up in a collapse simulator.

"We set up an evaluation day for Friday which consisted of several different facets to the problem as a team," Broyles said. "The fire department had to work though it and handle the incident while using the skills that they learned earlier in the week," Broyles said.

Broyles and Carter were focused to train the firefighters on all of the skills necessary to do the job safely and efficiently.

"This is the most in-depth training that we've had," said Matt Sands, 97th CES lead firefighter. "Most of the time, it's just a couple of barrels here and there, but [for this training] we actually had the concrete poured, the lumber and material out here, and we actually built it from the ground up.

This particular training is more hands-on, Sands said. The trainers were able to depict a realistic structural collapse situation to the firefighters well enough for them to know exactly what tasks to perform next.

Sands expressed that this training increased his confidence in his skills.

"I already had a good understanding of how to do [structural collapse rescue], but this time it was validated," Sands said. "If I'm ever called on to perform [structural collapse rescue], I know what I'm doing and I'll be confident in the decisions that I make."

Broyles and Carter were impressed with the firefighters.

"The personnel in the class were very eager to learn, and they all had a good attitude," Sands said. "They did very well, considering how hot it was."