PUSLINCH – Local firefighters both new and experienced are getting a bit of live fire training.
The Mobile Live Fire Training Unit (MLFTU) was at the Puslinch fire hall on Tuesday and Wednesday, simulating common fire and rescue situations to provide training and certification.
“When the fire college closed down, it really put a hamper for small municipal departments to get live fire training in, so the fire marshal went out and bought this unit that can travel around the province,” said Puslinch fire chief Jamie MacNeil, adding the MLFTU provides a cost savings to departments as well.
“It’s not like we’re just going to light a fire and go practice. This is a controlled environment, lots of trainers involved so they can learn those skills to make sure they’re ready for when the real call comes in.”
On Wednesday morning, firefighters in groups were training on an interior fire attack on the second level with a patient somewhere located inside.
“The goal is to go and control the fire, find the patient, bring him out,” MacNeil said. “Nice, quick repetition, do their primary and secondary searches and knock down the fire.”
The trailer has moveable walls which allows for different scenarios such as a couch fire or kitchen fire. The fires inside the trailer are propane fed.
MacNeil said he’s enjoyed watching firefighters training and the number of different departments both career and volunteer that have come through to learn from each other including Cambridge, North Dumfries, North Wellington, Centre Wellington and St. Clements.
“The peer benefit is to see the experience that the firefighters are gaining, the knowledge they’re gaining from the different instructors that come in because we all can provide a different aspect of a fire that they may not have seen,” MacNeil said. “It really hits home the basic skills of when we’ve got to go in and rescue somebody and knock that fire down.”
