The shrill roar of metal against metal pierces the air as a Langford volunteer firefighter tears into a car with an air chisel.
He jackhammers into the trunk, while a nearby colleague pries the jaws of life into a door hinge. The commander shouts instructions over the din of the generator and hum of hydraulic tools.
Thursday night training has been a staple of Langford firefighters since 1947, and in this case at Station No. 2 on Happy Valley Road, it is now in the midst of a residential neighbourhood.
Tearing apart cars beside someoneB次元官网网址檚 house isnB次元官网网址檛 ideal, fire officers admit.
B次元官网网址淲e are about seven feet from the residence,B次元官网网址� says assistant chief Scott Davidson. B次元官网网址淭hat homeowner is great, but the generators are running, the hydraulics run for two hours. It can be disruptive noise pollution.B次元官网网址�
Indeed, Station No. 2 is a noisy wrecking ground. Volunteers smash car windows, slice frames and learn to wrench doors open using leverage from a pulley and chains.
B次元官网网址淟earning how to open a car door that is smashed in, youB次元官网网址檝e got to get the tools into your hands,B次元官网网址� added assistant chief Geoff Spriggs. B次元官网网址淏ut we want to be considerate of our neighbours. We need to do this without bothering people.B次元官网网址�
With noisy but necessary training rubbing up against growing neighbourhoods, Langford Fire Rescue is launching an effort to build a permanent training facility. Davidson made the pitch to LangfordB次元官网网址檚 protective services committee earlier this month B次元官网网址� if the City provides or buys land, firefighters will fund and build the training stations.
B次元官网网址淰olunteers love to do projects in the community that give back. Providing a quality training centre will give back to the community in spades,B次元官网网址� Davidson told the committee.
B次元官网网址淩ealistic training is key to retention and satisfaction. Ultimately it improves firefighter proficiency,B次元官网网址� Davidson says.
B次元官网网址淩etention canB次元官网网址檛 be overstated. Close to half our firefighters have less than five years experience,B次元官网网址� said firefighter Jean-Paul Thuot, a citizen rep on the protective services committee. B次元官网网址淕etting over the five year mark the numbers drop quickly. There are only two guys with 20 years of experience.B次元官网网址�
Coun. Lanny Seaton said Langford is looking at a piece of City-owned land in an industrial area as a training site, but couldnB次元官网网址檛 yet go into details. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e identified a place, but weB次元官网网址檝e got to make sure,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut I think it would work really well.B次元官网网址�
Seaton volunteered as a Langford firefighter for 10 years in the 1970s. Similar to now, he trained in different parts of the city, but was able to have live-fire training on houses up for demolition and on cars in auto wrecking yards.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no auto wreckers around anymore,B次元官网网址� Seaton says. B次元官网网址淎nd you canB次元官网网址檛 put a ladder up the side of a condo.B次元官网网址�
These days, the composite force of 55 volunteers and eight paid officers split training between limited spaces at the three fire halls, parking lots around the city and occasionally within houses slated for redevelopment.
Langford firefighters can get the feel of a smoke filled building in a tower at Station No. 1 and auto-extrication training at No. 2, but for live fire certification they go to Nanaimo or the Mainland. Otter Point uses three sea containers as a burn building, which Davison says is B次元官网网址� good for recruitsB次元官网网址� but isnB次元官网网址檛 challenging for seasoned firefighters.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not as realistic as a fire training facility could be,B次元官网网址� Davidson says, referring to what is available at Langford fire stations. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e still pulling hoses around parking lots. ItB次元官网网址檚 starting to disrupt commerce.B次元官网网址�
Langford Fire Chief Bob Beckett said a permanent, centralized training facility is critical to build and maintain a majority volunteer force.
B次元官网网址淲ith a career or volunteer-composite model, more than 90 per cent of the time is spent training, getting ready for the game,B次元官网网址� Beckett says. B次元官网网址淰olunteers have a busy schedule at work and at home, so to commit to training, theyB次元官网网址檝e got to enjoy training.B次元官网网址�
