The Blue Grass Army Depot Firefighters train to respond to emergencies on or off the installation. This week, firefighters assigned to Fire Stations 1 & 2 on the Depot conducted 'Confined Space' training using a mobile trainer they received through the Army Materiel Command.
This confined space training is necessary for firefighters to practice life-saving measures for someone on BGAD or in the Madison County and Richmond areas who might need rescuing from a confined space.
"This is my first time going through training like this," said new-hire Firefighter Lane Perry. "This new experience has given me a taste of what classes I got coming. This [exercise] was a good training day."
Perry has been a firefighter for two and a half years before working at BGAD.
The BGAD Firefighters conducted the training in two-man teams.
"It's like being in a McDonald's play place in here," joked Firefighter Homer Weaver while crawling through a tight space.
Weaver has been a BGAD firefighter since September 2018. He and his team member, Firefighter Randall Hansen, finished the course in an impressive time: two minutes and 58 seconds. Teams were timed on how long it would take them to enter the trainer vertically, maneuver safely through the small space, create a successful harness, and retrieve a 175-lb dummy.
Training Officer Justin Hollen said all his firefighters enjoy the challenge and apply it to real-world calls they receive.
"It's a new challenge for us because [this trainer] can be configured for horizontal or vertical entry," said Hollen. "In the past, we were limited to training in real-world confined spaces. Now we can control the variable and intensity of any scenario and better ensure the safety of the training environment."
Though the BGAD Fire Station's primary mission is supporting the installation, Fire Chief Sean Brewer said 33 of his firefighters' 154 calls last year assisted the Madison County Fire Department in the community.
"We have a Mutual Aide Agreement with the city of Richmond and Madison County fire departments, said Brewer. "The agreement is very important if something big happens on the depot but also for the people in Madison County."
Chief Brewer went on to say that since BGAD has such a robust fire prevention program, his firefighters have few opportunities to fight fires on the post; however, most of the responses off the Depot provided multiple structure fires as well as vehicle accidents. Several vehicle accidents afforded the BGAD team to utilize extrication equipment such as the Jaws of Life.
"We don't get to fight fire much on base, but when we get a call from Madison County, there is a good chance it's to fight a fire, said Brewer. "My firefighters love that we have this agreement because they use the skills they learn through their daily training in real-world scenarios and help people."
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