Help is coming right up
Firefighters will get specialized training for elevator rescues
St. Catharines Fire and Emergency Services has purchased a prop elevator to train firefighters on how to rescue people who are trapped between floors.
“It’s not a call we respond to very often, but often enough our crews were concerned we were limited in our ability to actually get in and save somebody,” said chief training officer Jason Visser.
“We can’t just break into an elevator, they’re pretty complicated machines and there’s a pretty detailed sequence to get into them.”
Firefighters currently have to wait for an elevator technician to arrive on scene to open the elevator doors before they can help trapped occupants.
“So it’s kind of a Step 2 to basic elevator response, where now we are going to be able to get inside an elevator car without causing damage to it before a technician can respond from the elevator company,” said Visser.
But first they needed to get their hands on an elevator prop to train the firefighters.
“There’s no elevator prop store or elevator store so it was quite a process working with Gal Elevators,” said Visser. “We sent them pictures and a description of what we wanted and they fabricated this thing from scratch.”
Visser reached out to fire departments that have such a prop, Vaughan and Barrie, and they helped by providing photos which Visser then sent to Gal Elevator.
It took about six months to build the $6,000 prop. It arrived in Merritton at Fire Station No. 4 about three weeks ago.
All St. Catharines firefighters will be trained on elevator rescues using the new prop once standard operating guidelines and a syllabus for the training course is developed by Nic Bruxer, training officer for the fire department.
“That will take a bit of time as we develop our operating procedures and to do that we are working with a few other departments in the province using some of the procedures that they have in place and tailor them to the resources that we have in St. Catharines,” said Bruxer.
Several firefighters have already taken an instructor training course on elevator rescues but because COVID-19 has delayed everything, a refresher course for instructors will be in order before training begins.
“There’s a few more things to do with the prop, adding safety guards and then we can start. With COVID rules it’s limited what they can do with in-person training but within two to four weeks we will be able to start putting our instructors through the refresher course,” said Bruxer.
Niagara Falls acquired an elevator prop at about the same time as St. Catharines.
“There is an opportunity where we might put our heads together with Niagara Falls and their training staff to create a symmetrical program, they are doing the same things that we are doing and help each other in that regard,” said Visser.
There will also be opportunity for St. Catharines to help other departments in the region.
“Every department has strengths and weakness so us and Niagara Falls will be able to help other departments that don’t have elevator rescue procedures in place. We’ll be able to help them become more aware of what they can do if they are confronted with the same situations,” said Bruxer.