MANCHESTER, Conn. — A federal program geared to assist firefighters made its first visit to Connecticut to offer a week-long of training.
Through a FEMA grant, the “Fire Ground Survival Program” came to the Manchester Fire Department to train their firefighters as well as some East Hartford Firefighters and firefighters from Manchester’s 8th District Department.
“This is a ‘train the trainers’ program…it teaches our firefighters how to avoid getting into a mayday situation,” Manchester Battalion Chief Gordon MacMillan said.
The program is offered by the International Association of Firefighters. They bring a trailer full of specialized equipment and instructors to teach firefighters high-level survival skills.
“They’re learning self-survival skills," said Tom Heaney. "How to remove themselves from an unattainable environment, bailing out windows, cutting themselves out of entanglements and wires, breaching walls if they’re in a room overheated by fire. These skills in the class are about saving the firefighter – saving yourself.”
Heaney is a Fire Ground Survival instructor who is also a deputy chief with the Rockland, Massachusetts Fire Department.
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Each training regimen that’s included in the Fire Ground Survival Program is a direct result of a line-of-duty death.
“This is going to be the difference in saving somebody’s life. It gives them [firefighters] confidence that they can survive and all the skills that they’ve learned are brought home and polished,” Heaney added.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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