Contributed PhotoReedsport firefighter Terry Green holds the ladder during a firefighting exercise at the Scottsburg Fire Department-sponsored training held on Jan. 16 at Elkton High School.
Firefighters learn from top-notch 'live-fire' training in Elkton
Firefighters from seven communities, including Scottsburg and Reedsport participated in an all-day, live-fire training exercise on Sunday, Jan. 16, in Elkton.As a result, area volunteers should be better able to fight a variety of types of fires while being mindful of the safest procedures for doing so, according to Wayne Eder, an Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training fire instructor and former Scottsburg volunteer who served as a trainer for the event.
The more than 40 firefighters who participated in the safety training also hailed from fire departments in Elkton, Kellogg, North Douglas, Camas Valley and Hauser.
The exercise was funded through a 2009 FEMAgrant awarded to Scottsburg Rural Fire District. The grant covered mostly safety equipment.
A portion of the funding, however, was allocated to certify firefighters through the DPSST, according to Eder’s press release.
“Live-fire evolutions are a key point of certifying firefighters, (so) a burn trailer was obtained to allow firefighters to gain valuable hands-on training,” Eder said.
A former Scottsburg resident, he is now director of the University of Nevada, Reno’s Fire Science Academy in Carlin, Nev.
Eder wrote the $171,992 grant that paid for last Sunday’s training, as well as one for $265,000, which is being used to purchase a new pumper/tender fire engine for Scottsburg. It is the district’s first new truck in 31 years, and will come equipped with a 3,500-gallon water tank and a 1,500-gallon per minute fire pump.
The Elkton training was conducted in a burn trailer loaned to Scottsburg by the city of West Wendover, Nev., for this burn, Eder said. The training included basic and intermediate structural firefighting skills, including fire attack, search and rescue, ventilation, multi-company coordination, ladders, the use of thermal-imaging cameras and more.
“The training went smoothly with all students successfully completing the training,” Eder said.
The Scottsburg Rural Fire District responds to approximately 100 incidents each year, and operates on annual budget of less than $40,000 �” mostly from property tax funds.
Editor Lori Newman can be contacted at lnewman@theworldlink.com, or (541) 271-7474, ext. 203.
