Collapsed structure provides unique training opportunity for firefighters

FIREFIGHTERS from Bovey Tracey put themselves to the test yet again this week with a training exercise centred around a collapsed structure.

Entry into the building necessitated the firefighters reach the second floor of the drill tower, whereupon the crew would have to descended to ground level using the internal staircase.

While a contingent of four firefighters suited up in Breathing Apparatus (BA), a second group of Bovey Tracey's crew began pitching the ladder to the drill tower using an ‘over basement pitch’, which involves tying a line to the head of the ladder, and is used when a conventional pitch is not feasible.

Once the ladder was pitched, the ladder crew ensured that there was enough hose reel to be carried into the building and tied off a ladder that the BA team would have to use to access the lower areas.

With the ladder in place, the BA equipped team worked their way down the drill tower and, upon reaching the bottom, began the crawl through the mock-structure, all the while smoke clouded their vision.

Upon reaching the casualty, the firefighters assessed the situation and, reassuring the casualty, brought them out with the aid of a sheet, bringing the exercise to an end in the process.

A spokesman for Bovey Tracey Fire Station said: 'Training sessions like this makes our crews think outside the box, encourages team work and builds good working relationships.'