Brothers! Please mark your calendars on Saturday November 13th for the 3rd annual Lt. Brad Hutcherson Memorial Fire School. Our FOOLS chapter will once again be a sponsor and we will need help and participation from you all as this will serve as our fall training event. The LTBHMFS Advisory Board has been busy planning this year's event and also preparing to take requests for Assistance to Continued Education from emergency service members. Please frequently check the offerings and status of 2010 registration for classes at www.ltbhmfs.org.
We had ten bothers gather at Brentwood Fire's Training Grounds Saturday March 13. Three evolutions were offered including proper ladder placement and then Vent, Enter, Search techniques where everyone got to breach the window and then enter a smoke filled environment and perform a quick search and victim removal while also addressing ventilation issues. After lunch time was spent on vertical ventilation where everyone performed the five cuts to open a four by four foot opening in the roof. Thank you Brentwood Fire for allowing us to use your training grounds and smoke machine. Thanks Chief Nelms for running and getting lunch for us! Thanks to 50 Truck and crew (Trey, Chunk and Josh) for your hard work! Please click in the link below to see the pictures Brother Bill Armistead took of our fun! Remember to train like your life depends on it, because it does!
24 of us had a great time tearing up vehicles and sharing knowledge about extrication at our First Annual FOOLS Spring Training. I want to thank Ms. Amy, Mary, Melanie and Sandra for providing rehab and lunch for us. I also want to thank Trey, James and Robbie for doing a great job of leading the skill stations. Most of all, I want to thank the 18 members and prospective members who invested a Sunday to better themselves and our Middle Tennessee FOOLS chapter through this training event. Our next training opportunity will be Saturday November 7, 2009 at the annual Lt. Brad Hutcherson Memorial Fire School at Greenbrier High School. I will have more information and link on our web site by July so you can register for the class you want. Many Mid TN FOOLS make this event happen and we want more FOOLS to participate in this very affordable and high quality training opportunity. Thanks for everyone's support and please keep the training suggestions coming my way! Dave--Check the "Photo Gallery" for additional pictures!
I'd like to take a second to thank those that participated in the RIT training on January 31st and February 1st. We used an old Denny's Restaurant to run several RIT scenarios. The goal for the weekend was to build knowledge, skill, and ability for the attendees while enhancing teamwork under a stressful situation. Our chapter Training Trustee, Dave Brasells did an excellent job coordinating the event, obtaining resources, and establishing the curriculum for the weekend. Each day (Sat. and Sun.) began the day with a cleaning session for the owner (NFD Chief Travis Ford) in appreciation for letting the Middle Tennessee FOOLS use the facility for weekend training. Saturday morning was spent in skill stations covering breaching block wall for emergency exit/RIT egress, The "Nance" drill, gaining access from above (floor or roof), and RIT search techniques (search line management, harness conversion, secure an alternate air supply, etc.). Lunch was provided by 3 of our member’s wife’s (chili, cookies, cakes, etc.). After lunch, the knowledge gained in the skill stations were put into place in scenarios involving firefighters that had fallen through floors, structural collapse, victim packaging and removal, vertical ventilation, and the list goes on and on. A great day of training that sent everyone home tired, beaten, and bruised......but extremely satisfied. Sunday involved more RIT scenarios. The "Pittsburg" drill was set up and run 3 times so all attendees could participate. Participants had to negotiate several obstacles as a team while locating, packaging, securing air, and moving a downed firefighter. The exercise was successfully completed when all 4 team members and the victim exited the structure after negotiating all obstacles and remaining on air. For the grand finale, a RIT relay was run that utilized 2 teams (RIT Search and RIT Rescue). This scenario involved entanglements, collapses, and wall breaches. The teams were utilized in relay fashion to successfully negotiate the various obstacles/situations, secure the downed member, and successfully rescue him while maintaining team integrity.
Special thanks to Chief Ken Nelms (NFD ret.) for being the Safety Officer each day, the Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department for use of their Mobile Air Unit, the dually to pull it, and 2 smoke machines that let us operate the scenarios in "zero visibility". Also, thanks to Amy Nelms, Melanie Walker, and Lizabeth Brasells for making and serving our lunch on Saturday.
Stay tuned for other FOOLS training sessions that will be held throughout the year. Stay safe.
Thanks for a great weekend of RIT training! We helped put a dent in the cleanup of Chief Ford's property and got to 'play' in a realistic environment. We had eleven members on Saturday and ten on Sunday. As you can see from the pictures, everyone got plenty of hands-on and the fellowship was superb!
I want to thank President, Trey Nelms for spending Friday with me for setup and providing all the resources. Thanks to Trey and James Parks for leading RIT rescue with roof / floor entry and executing the Nance Drill. Secretary/Treasurer, Jim Roman did a bang up job on Saturday with the block wall forcible entry and reduced clearance exit drills. Thanks to Vice-President Joe Polenzani for helping me with RIT search; we hope the smoke machines made it realistic! We could not have done this weekend with Big Wayne Bennett and Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department's Air Trailer! Thanks Wayne for spending your weekend with us and to Chief Ray for making this resource available to us. Chief Nelms was with us all weekend and kept us laughing while making sure we kept things right as he served as our Safety Officer. A special thank you to Chief Ford for letting us use his building.
I would be remiss not to thank all of you who gave up all or part of your weekend to come, participate, better yourselves, your community and the American Fire Service! We had a blast and I don't know anyone who didn't take something new home with them, I know I learned something from all of you. I look forward to our next training weekend and hope those who couldn't make this training will mark your calendars.
"This Sunday's Training (11-2-2008) will let you perform the hands on functions. There is a lot of roof available and I have all the tools I think we'll need. Please bring your PPE. Sorry to compete with football (especially with the Titans doing so well), but the opportunity is available now. We will also be giving NFD District Chief Travis Ford a hand by cutting this roof along with any other demolition we perform. He plans to turn this old facility into a new restaurant with a Fire Service theme. Hope to see you there. Thanks and stay safe". Trey.
Everyone in attendance enjoyed tearing the builing up. From residential and commercial cuts, to removing interior doors, to pulling ceilings and walls. We spent 5 hours practicing what we do. Thanks to Nashville District Chief Ford and F.O.O.L.S. President Nelms for allowing us to practice inside the building.
