Big Red Fire Truck

Some of you might know from reading KYLIE'S WORLD on my website that I'm a volunteer firefighter with the NSW Rural Fire Service. It's far removed from plunking your butt in a chair and typing at the keyboard, and that's part of the reason why I joined up - it gets me out from behind the desk and doing something physical. I'm helping out my friends and others in my community/wider community and I'm challenging myself with new skills (not to mention feeding the imagination with a wider range of experiences!!!).

We train two Sunday mornings a month. My Captain has introduced me to the driver's seat of the big red fire truck. Why? We're a small unit - only 6 active members all up and usually there's only one licensed driver on the crew when we get called out. If anything happens to him out on the fire-front (he sprains an ankle or is injured) the crew will have a back-up driver who can get them out of there if need be.

During one particular training session, we headed out to a section of bush that had recently been burnt out by a major fire and where the fire trails were "easy" to drive. Think Fire Truck Orientation 101, not Advanced All-Terrain Course assessment course. I've driven a manual car, a farm ute, a forklift, a tractor, a farm-bike and quad-runner, but getting behind the wheel of a bloody big truck was something I've never done.

I learn several things pretty quickly...
a) the truck is wide, heavy and has 7 gears
b) there's no center mirror in a fire truck - you drive (or reverse) using the side mirrors only (I now have sooo much respect for heavy vehicle drivers)
c) the steering wheel is almost horizontal as opposed to vertical
d) you need a wide turning circle or you run into things or cut corners when you shouldn't (lucky I only snapped a few branches off a tree rather than a building)
e) it takes a lot to get use to the angles and capabilities a vehicle that size can negotiate without tipping or rolling over (no, I didn't manage that, thank goodness)
f) the pneumatic seat is sooo cool (I want one in my car!)
g) being the short-legged person I am, always move the seat back after you finish driving (or risk injuring your licensed driver as he tries to get back in the command seat and you find yourself having to use your new learned skills sooner than expected).

Apparently I passed my first driving lesson (and no, my Captain wasn't injured at the end of it, I remembered to adjust the seat just before I swapped sides :-P).

I conquered my first challenge, gained some confidence, and am looking forward to the next stint behind the wheel of the big red fire truck!

Photo: Our big red fire truck - practising the laying down of foam to protect the truck.

SES Training - Road Crash Rescue

Today I’ve spent 4hrs training in road crash rescue with 5 other members of our State Emergency Service unit (we only have 8 total), and I’m knackered.
Our scenario - we had a (fictional) casualty trapped in the vehicle turned on its side and we had to get her out using a full door and roof removal. So that meant we needed to stabilize the vehicle with pickets and holdfasts as well as acro props, carefully tip it back over onto its belly using the tirfor winch, stabilize it again with step blocks before taping up and smashing all the windows then remove the doors using a socket set as well as the spreaders before using a set of parrot beaks and combi-tool to cut off the roof.
Towards the end our trainer complicated the situation by telling us the casualty was pinned in the drivers seat by the steering wheel, so then we had to use the steering wheel chains and spreader to lift the wheel enough to free her legs before we could get her out.
Due to our geographic isolation, and with other emergency services that usually respond to road crash rescue being about 70kms away, our unit is one of several around the state accredited in road crash rescue - not all SES units do RCR.
This is the second training scenario we’ve conducted at this “accident site” and it’s been a great learning experience for everyone, especially our newbie members who are just starting their accreditation. For me it’s been a much needed refresher and the chance to be team leader this time around.
The sense of accomplishment after a day like today, even though some of us haven’t had the practical years of experience that a few of us do, is high as we all contributed something to the team effort. There’s also the realization that we may one day use these skills to save someone’s life.
I enjoy the practical elements of SES training as it’s so different to my regular day-job (teaching). While the unit is small and, at times, we often struggle for members, I wouldn’t swap the years I’ve had in the unit. The qualifications and training is worthwhile but it’s the strong bonds of friendship forged with members that keeps me going back every Tuesday night and the odd weekend of training - some of them I’ve known for almost 20 years (gosh, where does the time go???).