[Fire Swimming Pool Safety Class]
[00:00:04]
WE ARE HAVING A WATER POOL SAFETY CLASS HERE TODAY AT LAKESIDE COUNTRY CLUB.
THEY'VE ALLOWED US TO USE THEIR SWIMMING POOL.
THE POOL IS NINE FEET DEEP RIGHT HERE, AND, AND THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE BASICALLY FALLING INTO THE POOL AND KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT IF IN THE EVENT IT HAPPENS IN A REAL LIFE SITUATION.
THIS IS TO PROTECT THE FIREMAN THEMSELF THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IS WHEN WE SHOW UP TO A, A HOUSE ON FIRE, A STRUCTURE ON FIRE, THEY, THEY THINK THAT WE CAN SEE EVERYTHING WHEN IN REALITY SWIMMING POOL BEHIND US, WE'D HAVE NO IDEA.
IT'S EVEN THERE WITH SMOKE AND DARKNESS AND, AND CERTAIN SITUATIONS THAT ENTAILS FIREFIGHTERS FALLING INTO A DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH ALL OF THAT GEAR.
THEIR GEAR IS ROUGHLY 60 POUNDS BEFORE IT'S WET.
BY THE TIME IT GETS WET, IT COULD ADD ANOTHER 40, 50 POUNDS TO IT, WHICH BECOMES A DANGEROUS SITUATION.
A COUPLE MONTHS AGO WE DID THIS WATER RESCUE, CANAL RESCUE TYPE TRAINING.
AND SO WE WANTED TO EXPAND ON THAT BECAUSE THIS WAS KIND OF THINKING OUT OF THE BOX OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ONE OF OUR GUYS OR WOMEN, UM, HAPPENED TO FALL INTO ANY TYPE OF BODY OF WATER.
AT THE TIME, WE DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE CAPABILITIES OF OUR PPE, SO WE REALLY WANTED TO TRAIN ON THAT.
YOU INCREASE YOUR WEIGHT BY 40, UH, 40 POUNDS.
SO GETTING OUT WAS ACTUALLY THE HARDEST PART.
HAVING BEEN IN THE SITUATION AHEAD OF TIME, CERTAINLY WILL, WILL HELP THAT, THAT PANIC LEVEL, YOU KNOW, STAY DOWN THE FIREFIGHTERS THEMSELF WHEN THEY'RE DRAGGING HOSE IN THE BACKYARD, THEIR PERSONAL PROTECTION GEAR, UM, THEY'RE FULLY PPD OUT.
THEY TURNED AROUND, THEY DRAGGING HOSE WITH THEIR AIR PACKS ON AND EVERYTHING, AND THEN THEY STEP INTO A SWIMMING POOL, POTENTIALLY EIGHT, NINE FEET DEEP.
THE WORST CASE SCENARIO THAT WE COULD COME UP WITH, IF ONE OF OUR MEMBERS WERE TO FALL OFF THE, UH, CAUSEWAY BRIDGE, UM, 'CAUSE THERE YOU'RE ISOLATED, IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN FALLING IN A SWIMMING POOL OR FALLING INTO A CANAL, YOU KNOW, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THAT THE CAUSEWAY BRIDGE IS KIND OF A, LIKE OUR DOOMSDAY SITUATION.
WHAT WE'RE LEARNING IN DOING THIS TRAINING IS, IS THE AIR TANKS AND ALL OF THE AIR THAT'S TRAPPED INSIDE OF YOUR GEAR ACTUALLY MAKES YOU FLOAT.
AND THE BIGGEST PART OF THIS TRAINING AND HAVING THE GUYS JUMP IN THE SWIMMING POOL IS TO TEACH 'EM NOT TO PANIC THAT YOU'RE GONNA FLOAT.
THIS IS A KIND OF A STRANGE TYPE OF SITUATION, AND IT'S NOT A COMMON ONE, BUT WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR MEN AND WOMEN WERE TRAINED IF THIS WERE TO EVER HAPPEN.