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National Firefighter Training In Las Cruces

http://youtu.be/HvcfYuusqXM

We trust firefighters to keep us safe during an emergency, but firefighters also have safety concerns when they enter burning buildings. A new, free program is hoping to help keep firefighters safe, while they keep the public safe.

New technology makes our lives easier, and helps us learn more about our environment. The same is true for research done on fighting fires. Richard Miller, a Program Manager with the International association of fire chiefs says that is why the FSTAR program was created.

“This education about the research is the next evolution of how fires are burning,” Miller said. “Why they are causing certain situations that firefighters weren’t properly prepared for. So, the FSTAR site and the link to the science is about giving them that science and specifically keeping them safe.”

That’s why Battalion Chief for Safety and Logistics at the Las Cruces fire department brought the FSTAR town hall to the southwest.

“A lot has changed that you don’t even think about,” Smith said. “The things we put in our homes have changed with synthetics and plastics, and because of that the environments we encounter when we go into the interior to fight a fire has changed. There is a lot more heat, there is a lot more expansion of the fire quicker, so we have to get that information out.”

The program helped him to realize what happens to his gear when he enters a fire.

“Our bunker gear that we wear, has definitely enlightened me on the threshold of what we can sustain and what our gear can sustain,” Smith said. “Because by the time that our gear becomes heat saturated and we are feeling the effects of it. We might be in a situation that is bad for us. We need to recognize that, and that all starts with our size up of the scene and knowing that what we do on a fireground has an effect on the fire.”

Many of their practices, are already in line with the research, but Smith said it is always good to have a refresher course.

“It is in line, but there is always room for improvement,” Smith said. “And better understanding. And we might be able to make some further changes or adaptations to what we are doing.”

If you want to help, there are some things you can do if you notice a fire in your home to help keep yourself and the firefighters safe.

“As the science is showing today, closing up your house, closing the doors behind you, having a home escape plan, which is not part of this program but is part of fire prevention education, is critical for you to get out of your home in a safe manner,” said Richard Miller, Program Manager for the International Association of Fire Chiefs. “And then having a rally point out front where you can meet and collect the occupants of your home. And then let the firefighters know that all of the occupants are out or letting them know the possible location other occupants are located.”