“Walking a day in their shoes” took on a new meaning for Town of Westport elected officials. For a good part of the day, two members of the Board of Finance and four members of the RTM traded their normal weekend clothes for firefighting gear as they participated in the Westport Fire Fighters Fire OPS 101. This program includes hands-on firefighting and rescue operations under controlled supervision of Westport’s professional fire fighters. Participants learned exactly how challenging it is to keep our communities safe.
The five “recruits” started their day in the training room at fire headquarters as firefighter and Local 1081 President Nick Marsan described what their day would be like, from the turnout gear they would be wearing for most of the day, to the current staffing, responses and responsibilities of the Town’s fire department.
Once the recruits had donned their firefighting gear, they were ushered outside to a waiting van that transported them to the training house on Greens Farms Road, a house slated for demolition, graciously donated by a local builder to allow firefighters to experience realistic training scenarios. The six recruits were put through three evolutions; search and rescue which included rescue of two occupants from the smoke filled house, hose line advancement for fire control, and finally a vehicle extrication evolution that entailed use of hydraulic rescue tools as well as hand tools. Each participant learned how to use self-contained breathing apparatus, essential to breathing in heavy smoke, the benefits of using a thermal imaging camera that detects heat to search for victims inside a structure and just how challenging it is to operate in zero visibility.
By the end of the day and after a short break for lunch, the six board members had a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of Westport firefighters and the varied types of emergencies handled by firefighters on a daily basis. First Selectman James Marpe also attended the drill as did a few family members of participating board members. We would like to congratulate all of our participants for taking time out of their busy schedules to be a part of this valuable experience and also extend appreciation to all of the professional firefighters who spent their time organizing and delivering a great program.
